To Protect And Heal
by T'Reilani
Summary: Echo, Ratchet's daughter, has been training to become a medic since before the Autobots arrived on Earth. But in all those years, she's never faced anything like the return of Megatron and the war that follows. OC. The original Echo-verse story.
1. Chapter 1: Echo

**Author:** T'Reilani

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Changes to the Transformers: Prime storyline to include an OC as a major character. A couple of Cybertronian swear words.

**Summary:** An introduction to my OC Echo. Takes place before "Darkness Rising".

**Pairing(s): **Very, very slight Arcee/Cliffjumper

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

"normal"

_thoughts_

**radio**

::comm::

**A/N:** **Essentially, this story does the same thing as Transformers: Technorganic; it adds an OC to the canon continuity. **

Chapter 1: Echo

The small green motorcycle sped down the tunnel, heading deeper underground. Even though the turns were tight, they were taken rapidly and easily, the black-clothed rider leaning at the perfect times. She'd driven through here so many times she could have done it in pitch darkness.

She skidded out of the tunnel into the large main room of the secret base. The holographic rider disappeared, and the motorcycle clicked and shifted, transforming into a small, bright green fembot. She looked around, but didn't see any of the others.

"Dad?" she called, walking further in. "Dad, I'm home!"

A large red and white 'bot crawled partway out from under the computer console, where he'd apparently been fiddling with some wiring. "Hi, Echo. Pass me a wrench, would you?"

Echo grabbed the nearest wrench off the console and handed it to him. "Computer having problems again?"

"Yeah." Ratchet's voice was muffled as he disappeared back underneath the console. Several loud grunts came from his location, followed by the crash of metal on metal and a string of colorful Cybertronian expletives.

Echo tried not to giggle. Her father could be very eloquent when it came to expressing his disapproval of human technology. "Here, Dad, let me try. I'm smaller, I might be able to reach whatever's causing issues. What's the problem?"

Ratchet slid out from under the computer and sat up. There was a streak of grease across the left side of his face, but he didn't notice. "Slaggin' thing's fritzing again. Won't pick up signals. There's a broken wire, but I can't get to it."

Echo took the offered wrench, dropped onto her back, and crawled underneath the computer. The maintenance panel was open, exposing clusters of wiring and a data chip. The femme activated her optic scanner, looking for anything out of place. Initially, she didn't find anything, so she carefully used the wrench to push a few wires away before scanning again. _There, that's the problem._ One wire was detached, and another was torn.

She poked her head out. "Can I have the welder?"

Ratchet handed her the instrument. "You can reach the broken wire?"

"I think so." She pushed her hand up into the computer, ignoring the way the edges of the panel scraped her plating. She could just get close enough to weld the torn wire back together, and used the tip of the welder to push the detached wire back into place. "There, got it!"

She crawled back out and handed the older medic the welder. Ratchet gave her a rare grin and clapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Nice job. Knew you'd come in handy someday."

Echo was used to her father's gruff manner, and knew it was just a front. "Thanks, Dad. Here, you've got grease on your cheek." She wiped it off.

"How was patrol?" Ratchet pulled his daughter a bit closer.

"Oh, the usual. Nothing but wildlife and humans." Echo looked around. "Where is everybody?"

Ratchet thought about it for a moment. "Prime and Bulkhead are still on patrol, Bumblebee went for a drive, and Arcee and 'Jumper are around here somewhere."

"What exactly is going on with Arcee and Cliffjumper?" Echo asked the question that had been on her processor for a while. "At first they avoided each other, now they spend all their free time together. It's weird."

Ratchet chuckled. "Oh, it's a little thing called 'mutual attraction'."

"You mean, they're courting?" Echo's optics widened.

Ratchet rested one hand on hers fondly. His daughter was so innocent sometimes, and he wanted to keep it that way. "Not yet, but if the attraction holds, they probably will someday."

"That'd be nice for them." Echo looked over at the tunnel. "I think Bumblebee's back."

"Yep." Ratchet stood up and held out a hand to her. "Get ready; knowing Bumblebee, he's managed to get a flat tire, have a fender bender, or something similar. Some days he could give Bulkhead a run for the title of 'Most stupidly incurred injury'."

Echo giggled. In the solar cycles since she'd become her father's apprentice, she'd learned that while he was an incredible medic, he was also incredibly annoyed by stupidity. To be honest, she was, too; it was a pain in the gearshaft to have to fix problems that could easily have been averted by a little common sense. "It's really amazing what Team Prime can think _of _but not _through_."

"You're telling me." Ratchet snorted and went to the computer. "There, it's picking up signals again. Hope there weren't any emergencies while it was down."

A bright yellow and black Camaro sped into the room, skidding to a halt and transforming in one smooth motion. Bumblebee beeped and clicked a greeting to the two medics.

"Hi, Bumblebee, what'd you do this time?" Echo greeted rather gruffly.

The bigger mech beeped sharply in protest.

"Yes, you do. All the time. What happened?"

Bumblebee gestured to his left pede, clicking and humming.

"Broken hubcap? Primus." Echo motioned for him to start toward the medbay. "I don't even want to know. Dad, you can watch the monitor; I'll take care of the walking accident."

Bumblebee beeped sharply again as Ratchet barked in feigned indignation, "Hey, who's the higher-ranking one here, young lady?"

Echo rolled her optics. "Fine. Dad, should I deal with it?"

"Yes, of course. I'm not in the mood to fix idiots."

Echo grinned reluctantly and followed Bumblebee toward the medbay.


	2. Chapter 2: Team Prime

**Author:** T'Reilani

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Very mild violence.

**Summary:** The rest of Team Prime is introduced. Takes place before "Darkness Rising".

**Pairing(s): **Very, very slight Arcee/Cliffjumper

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

"normal"

_thoughts_

**radio**

::comm::

**A/N:** Thanks for reviewing, **InvaderEmily**! So glad you're enjoying it!

Chapter 2: Team Prime

Echo spun, slashed up with her right wrist-blade, and kicked out hard, aiming for her larger opponent's jawline. The other easily dodged the kick and blocked the strike from the blade, knocking it back toward the young femme. Echo dived backward and rolled, evading the follow-up strike, but was caught by a powerful blast from her opponent's arm-cannon. The force of the blow threw her back into the wall, where she lay still for a moment.

The red, horned mech made his way over to her and held out a servo. "You okay, kid?"

Echo winced, shaking off the effects of the stun bolt, before accepting the offered servo and getting to her pedes. "I'll live. Primus, that _burns_."

"It's supposed to," the mech scoffed. "'Cons won't be usin' stun bolts, and you asked me to help you train."

"Can't you take it a little easier on her, Cliffjumper?" The huge green mech near the door spoke up. "You know she's not a fighter by programming like you are, and she's young."

"Again, 'Cons won't take it easy 'cause she's a medic and small. She's gotta learn, Bulkhead, and the sooner the better." Cliffjumper turned and walked back to his place at the other end of the exercise room. "Try it again, and this time watch the cannon."

Echo obeyed, lunging toward him, but changing the routine so that instead of spinning toward him, she dived, rolled past, and aimed a kick at his back. It landed, and Cliffjumper grunted, before spinning and hitting her full across the chest, knocking her to the floor. He dropped to one knee, pinning her easily, and laughed. "Quick thinking, I'll give you that, kid. But you gotta remember, you don't have the strength to take out a mech my size."

"What do you want me to do, throw wrenches?" Echo twisted suddenly, managing to throw him off balance just enough to slip free and get to her pedes, braced for an attack. "'Cause that can be arranged."

"Nice." Cliffjumper moved suddenly, kicking at her left leg. He'd tried that once before, though, and she dodged it, punching at his face. He grabbed her arm, spun hard, and threw her completely across the room. She slammed into the wall with a grunt. "Ow..."

Cliffjumper moved in to finish the attack, but the other femme in the room, a blue cycleformer a bit taller than Echo, stepped in the way. "Lay off, okay, Cliff? I think she's got the point, and the Hatchet'll kill you if she gets hurt."

Cliffjumper sighed. "She _asked_ for it, Arcee. I'm not hurting her."

Echo watched for a moment as they kept talking, slowly pulling a wrench from her subspace. "I know, I know, but you gotta remember she's the youngest of us. You weren't any better at her age." Arcee moved across the room. Echo counted. _Just...one...more...step...now!_ She lunged upward, hurling the wrench with all her strength. Her aim was good; it caught Cliffjumper right between the helm-horns, knocking him to the floor. The medic leaped to her feet and went to stand over the red warrior with a grin.

"Not helpless, remember? Down but not out."

"I guess you learned that well enough," Cliffjumper groaned, rubbing his forehead. "You have quite the arm."

"Learned it from Dad." Echo smirked. "I believe I win this round."

"Autobots, listen up!" Everyone turned to see a tall red and blue mech standing in the door. "Ratchet has picked up a signal from an energon deposit. Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Echo, you will go retrieve it."

"Yes, Prime," Arcee said. "Who's the ranking officer on this?"

Optimus Prime gestured for them to follow him to the groundbridge. "Cliffjumper, unless one of you is injured. In that case, Echo's word as a medic takes precedence."

Echo couldn't keep a smile off her face. "Really? I get to be the ranking medic?"

Ratchet turned from the groundbridge controls. "Why not? You've had enough training." He looked gruff as usual, but Echo could see the glow in his optics that said he was proud of his daughter.

She went to give him a quick hug. "I won't let you down, Dad. I promise."

"'Course you won't, I trained you. Now you three get moving." Ratchet activated the groundbridge. Cliffjumper motioned. "Come on, you two, let's roll."

Echo waved. "Later, Dad."

"See you, kid. Come back in one piece." Ratchet motioned for her to go. She obeyed, sprinting into the green glow and transforming. The familiar pressure of the transportation surrounded her for a moment, then she was on solid ground again, standing next to Arcee in vehicle mode.

Cliffjumper rolled toward them, the horns on his hood catching the sunlight. "Let's hurry it up, we don't have all day!"

Echo sighed. "Did Prime _have_ to put him in charge?"

The groundbridge had sent them fairly close to the energon deposit, so it only took a moment or two to reach it. It was down in a small canyon, mostly covered in rocks. If they hadn't had the coordinates, they would have missed it completely.

After a quick scan to be sure they were alone, the trio transformed. Arcee put a hand on one of the rocks. "So, how do we get it out from under these?"

"We could just blast away the rocks." Cliffjumper activated his cannons. "Stand back, ladies."

Echo sighed. "Cliffjumper, if you blast the rocks, you'll destroy the energon. Don't you ever think?"

"Of _course_ I think," Cliffjumper muttered, stepping back and retracting the guns. "Fine, if you don't want to blast it off, how do you plan to get the energon out?"

"The right way." Echo knelt beside the rocks and transformed her left hand into a small laser scalpel. "Lend a servo here, you two, we'll just cut the rocks away."

"Won't that take a while?" Arcee drew her small swords.

"Not with all of us working." Echo glared at Cliffjumper until he started slicing into the rocks. She was right; with all three of them, it only took half an hour to remove enough of the rock to reach the energon. There wasn't much of it, but it was something.

Cliffjumper carefully pried the energon deposit out of the rocks and stood up. "There, that's it. Let's go before any humans show up."

Echo activated her internal comm. ::Dad, we've got it. We're ready to bridge back.::

::I copy. You'll bridge from the arrival coordinates.:: Ratchet, back at base, moved to the control console. "Just...one...moment...there we go. Groundbridge open."

The three Autobots entered the green glow of the bridge the moment it appeared. A few seconds later, they were standing in the main room of the base, Cliffjumper still holding the energon. "Here you are, Prime, sir."

Optimus took the energon, looking at it for a moment. "Well done, you three. This will be helpful."

"Thank you," Arcee said. Echo simply nodded.

"Now, I need two patrols to go out." Optimus studied the five Autobots in the room. "Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, Echo -"

"Not Echo," Ratchet interrupted. "I need her to help me program the new computer addition."

"Alright. Arcee, you will go instead." Optimus turned. "Ratchet, please make the modifications quickly. We need the computer up and running."


	3. Chapter 3: Loss

**Author:** T'Reilani

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Angst, a couple of Cybertronian swear words.

**Summary:** One of the team members is lost. Beginning of "Darkness Rising".

**Pairing(s): **Very, very slight Arcee/Cliffjumper

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

"normal"

_thoughts_

**radio**

::comm::

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! **lilskystar**, I'm so glad you liked it! I haven't seen much with Ratchet as a dad, so I decided to write it. XD **MoxieRox96**, Echo's other creator is a femme named Moonracer, who died on Cybertron.

Chapter 3: Loss

As the other Autobots left through the groundbridge, Echo made her way to Ratchet's side. "So, what do we need to do, Dad?"

"We've got to add the latest piece of human tech. It's just a control feature, but given how primitive human technology is, it'll take both of us to get it set up. You take the main computer, and I'll work on the control console." Ratchet tossed a data disk in her direction and turned to his work.

They didn't talk much while they were working, except for the occasional request for a tool, or a Cybertronian swear word when something didn't quite fit or they got an error message. Due to their concentration, they didn't realize how much time had passed until a comm request came in from Optimus.

"Ratchet, are you finished yet?"

"Not quite, Optimus, but we're pretty close. Why?"

"I need you and Echo to go to these coordinates. There's a reading that might be energon, and I need you to check it out."

"Copy that." Ratchet turned and motioned his daughter to follow him. "C'mon, kiddo, let's roll. I could use the break."

The location turned out to be in a particularly cold section of the country. Echo, in vehicle mode, shuddered a bit. "Ugh, did it have to be so slagging cold out here? I hate this."

"Can't change the weather, kid." Ratchet, in the form of an ambulance, moved to block the wind. "Get moving."

Still grumbling under her breath, Echo obeyed, activating her holographic rider and speeding down the road. The signal was incredibly faint; over the comm system, the younger medic commented dryly, ::If that's energon, I'm a glitch mouse.::

::Yeah, but we still have to check it out.:: Ratchet picked up speed.

Echo would have rolled her optics if she'd been in robot mode. ::I know the drill, Dad.::

Before they reached the source of the reading, an urgent message came over the open comm system. ::Arcee to Optimus. The 'Cons are back. Cliff might be neck-deep in scrap.::

::Slag it:: Echo muttered, as both she and her father hit the brakes and turned, heading back the way they'd come, toward the groundbridge.

::Understood:: came the Autobot leader's calm reply. ::Ratchet, do you have Cliffjumper's coordinates?::

Echo winced internally, knowing she should have thought to check for those. Ratchet didn't make any comment to her, though. ::I'm locked on his signal, Optimus, but our team is scattered across timezones.:: He skidded to a halt, so fast Echo almost ran into him. "Here we are."

Optimus gave the orders over the comm system. ::Arcee, Bulkhead, Bumblebee. Rendezvous back at base and prepare to groundbridge. Ratchet and Echo, are you in a position to groundbridge back without help or do you need assistance?::

::We can do it, Prime, but it would be easier if someone was able to bridge us back.:: Ratchet transformed and motioned for Echo to do the same.

::Understood. Give us time to reach the base, then we'll bring you back here.::

Echo moved closer to Ratchet, nervous. "Dad?...Do you think this is a full attack, or just a few scouts or something?"

"I don't know." Ratchet stared off into the distance. "But I'd say be prepared for the worst."

Echo bit down on her lower lip. "Got it."

It seemed to take forever, but the groundbridge finally appeared in front of them. The instant it appeared, Ratchet sprinted through it, with Echo right behind him. The other 'bots were already there, waiting. Arcee in particular looked impatient.

"Ratchet, program the groundbridge to take us to Cliffjumper's last known location," Optimus ordered.

"Already on it." Ratchet fiddled with the controls for a moment, then turned. "Groundbridge active."

"Autobots, transform and prepare for combat!" Optimus gestured toward the bridge. Echo gritted her dentas - she'd never actually been in combat before - then transformed and followed Ratchet into the green glow.

Ratchet transformed the second he exited the bridge, landing in a combat-ready stance. Echo landed just behind him, every cable tensed. The others surrounded them in seconds, cannons at the ready.

Echo cycled her vents in an almost inaudible sigh of relief, when the crater in front of them was empty. Optimus retracted his gun and looked down into it. "An untapped energon deposit."

"What's left of it," Bulkhead added grimly.

"The first Decepticon activity in three years," Ratchet commented.

Optimus removed his battle mask. "That we know of. If they're scouting for energon, they may be preparing for his return."

Optimus didn't need to say who "he" was. They all knew. Echo suppressed a slight shudder. _If he returns, do we even stand a chance?_

They moved forward, spreading out along the edge of the crater. Arcee and Bumblebee both dropped over the edge, scrambling to the bottom of the canyon and looking around. Echo stepped as close to Ratchet as she could get, and he gave her a quick, reassuring glance as they followed the other two.

Arcee glanced down, then gasped. Echo moved toward her, then stopped when she saw what Arcee was holding.

One of Cliffjumper's helm-horns.

"No..." Arcee whispered. Echo wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how.

"Ratchet, can you track his position?" Optimus's tone was urgent.

Ratchet gave a brief nod, opening the panel on his forearm to reveal the small tracker monitor. Echo leaned over his arm to look at it; she didn't have one yet. Six signals appeared on it, one of them moving away; then it turned red and disappeared. There was a sharp buzz from the monitor.

Echo gasped, one servo pressing over her mouth to stop herself from crying out. Ratchet looked just as shocked. "No!" He hesitated a moment, then spoke quietly, not looking up. "Cliffjumper's life signal...just went offline."

Horrified, Echo pressed into her father's side, barely able to stop herself from shaking. She'd seen Autobots die before, of course, but they had never been members of her team. She didn't know what to say, or how to react. Optimus, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee had moved to Arcee's side, but the young medic didn't feel like she could move. Ratchet, noticing her distress, wrapped one arm around her and spoke quietly. "It's never easy to lose a friend. It's even harder when it happens like this."

They gathered into a circle at the edge of the cliff. Optimus was the first to speak. "We must not allow our anger over the loss of Cliffjumper to impair our judgment. As of today, only we five Autobots remain on this earth. We owe it to ourselves, to the memory of Cybertron, to any Autobots in any galaxy seeking safe harbor, to humankind. and we owe it to our fallen comrade, to survive."

Arcee stepped forward and knelt, placing the broken horn in the center of the circle. Echo's spark hurt for her; just yesterday she'd been with Cliffjumper, laughing and enjoying herself, and now he was dead.

Optimus clearly felt for her as well. "Arcee?"

"If Cliff's gone, standing around here sulking won't bring him back." Arcee's vocalizer sounded rather shaky, as though she was furious and trying not to cry. "So unless anyone minds, I think I'll get back to _protecting humankind_." She transformed and sped off without another word.

Ratchet moved to the Autobot leader's side. Echo moved with him; she wasn't willing to leave his side right now. "Optimus, helping humans will only result in more tragedy." Echo agreed, but didn't dare say so.

"Your opinion is noted." Optimus's tone made it clear there would be no more discussion on the subject.

As they separated, some of them going back on patrol while the others returned to the base, Echo turned to her father. "Dad...I..."

"It's fine." Ratchet understood what she was trying to say. "You'll see this again, but listen, kiddo." Ratchet placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face so that she was looking him straight in the optics. "I hope it _never_ gets to the point where you're used to this. Because once that happens, you don't care anymore. Being a medic means caring for every mech and femme you are responsible for, and that means hurting inside when they offline. This is the dark side of the path we chose."

"I understand," she whispered. He rested his arm on her shoulders. "Good girl. Let's go."


	4. Chapter 4: Planet of Humans

**Author:** T'Reilani

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **None.

**Summary:** The humans arrive at the base.

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

"normal"

_thoughts_

**radio**

::comm::

**A/N: SailorShinzo** and **ida-criss-wild**, thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you like it! Sorry about the delay, this was a hard chapter to write. Hope it turned out well.

Chapter 4: Planet of Humans

Once back at base, Echo and Ratchet returned to their work on the computer. Neither of them spoke, except for swearing occasionally about the human tech; there wasn't anything else to say.

After about three hours, after it got dark, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead pulled into the base, tires screeching as they came to a halt and transformed. Optimus turned to them. "Report."

Arcee raised a shoulder in a slight shrug. "The twins came after me. Bumblebee and I fought them, then when Bulkhead showed, they decided they didn't like the odds. Took off. The 'Cons would've been scrap metal if I hadn't been distracted by the human."

That word got everyone's attention. Echo turned to look at Arcee as Optimus inquired. "Human?"

Bumblebee beeped an explanation. Optimus sighed. "Two boys."

Arcee raised a hand, in a "don't look at me" gesture. "I guess the second one caught us in action, I don't know. Was a little _busy_ at the time." Her tone had a bite to it.

Optimus turned back to the monitor. "If the Decepticons are targeting us, anyone percieved as our ally will be at grave risk."

"So?" Arcee raised an eyebrow arch.

"So?" Echo stared at her. "So those humans could get _killed_!"

"Not my problem," the older femme snapped. "It was the older one's choice to get involved, I didn't ask him to show up. Besides, what are the odds the 'Cons will even remember them?"

"Pretty good," Bulkhead pointed out. "I mean, they did go after them. They probably got a good visual image."

"Bulkhead and Echo are right, Arcee." Optimus turned to face her. "Which of you did the boys see?"

Bumblebee beeped the answer.

"Alright. Tomorrow, the two of you will make contact with them. Bring them here."

"Are you sure about that, Optimus?" Ratchet looked up from the computer. "You know what Fowler says about contact with civilians."

"Yes, Ratchet, but the alternative is leaving them to face Decepticons alone. We will help them." Optimus's tone left no room for argument.

"Fine. Now if no one objects, I'm going to get some recharge." Arcee stalked off toward her quarters. Echo sighed and looked after her. "Isn't there anything we can do, Dad?"

"No. This is something she has to deal with alone." Ratchet put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You should recharge too. Go on, I'll clean up here."

The next day, as usual, was quiet. The most activity came from Arcee, complaining about having to deal with a human.

"How am I even supposed to find him? I don't know anything about him."

Ratchet sighed. "Would you mute it already? We get it. You're not happy."

Echo looked up from the computer. "Does he have a name?"

Arcee thought. "Jack Darby, I believe he said. Talking to a girl."

"Jack Darby." Echo typed in a few commands on the computer. "Here it is. Goes to Jasper High. This is the address. Classes get out at 3:30 P.M. You can probably meet him then. See? That wasn't so hard. And if we can do it, so can the Decepticons."

"Hmmph." Arcee snorted and turned away. Optimus turned to Echo. "Good thinking, young one. Can you trace the other boy?"

"Not without a name, but there would be humans from ages twelve to eighteen there, and it's the only one in town. He should be easy to find, especially if he recognizes Bumblebee."

"Thank you, Echo. Ratchet, how is the computer modification coming?"

"How do you _think_? It's _not_ coming. At all. Blasted human tech is _useless_." Ratchet slammed a fist down on the console. "On Cybertron, this would have been a ten-minute job. Now it's a ten-day job."

"This isn't Cybertron, as much as I wish it was, Ratchet." Optimus sighed.

Echo turned back to her computer console, sighing. This was going to be a long, long day.

Arcee and Bumblebee left for the school at 2:30, much to Echo's relief. Arcee was a good friend, but her complaining was getting on the young medic's nerves. It was bothering Ratchet too, but he was better at concealing it. At least, most of the time.

When they returned, though, everyone got quite a surprise.

Echo, standing next to her father, looked up from the computer, to see that there was one young boy in Bumblebee's passenger side, and _two_ humans - an older boy, and a girl - with Arcee.

"I thought there were two," Ratchet said, moving to stand next to Bulkhead. Echo nodded. "Yeah, you said two boys. Where'd the girl come from?"

"Haven't you heard?" Arcee smirked. "Humans multiply."

"Not _that_ fast!" Echo rolled her optics. "Seriously, Arcee."

The youngest boy looked up at them, then held up a hand. "I'm Raf."

The girl ran toward Bulkhead. "I'm Miko! Who are you?"

He stared at her. "Bulkhead."

She gasped, with what was most likely delight. "Are you a car? I bet you're a truck. A monster truck! Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Ever use a wrecking ball for a punching bag?"

"Well, she's not shy," Echo commented dryly. "Not sure if that's good or bad."

Raf looked from one to the other. "So...if you guys are robots, who made you?"

Ratchet snorted in irritation. "Oh, _please_!"

"Easy, Dad," Echo muttered as Optimus entered the room. The three humans all turned to look at him as he spoke. "We are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from the planet Cybertron, also known as Autobots."

The older boy - Jack, Echo assumed - stepped forward. "W-why are you here?"

"To protect your planet from the Decepticons."

"And to make life hard for me," Ratchet muttered. Echo suppressed a giggle.

Arcee clarified. "The jokers who tried to bump us off last night."

"Okay..." Jack still looked confused. "Why are they here?"

"A fair question, Jack." Optimus knelt in front of them. "In part, they are here because our planet is uninhabitable, ravaged by centuries of civil war."

Echo shrugged. "That's partly why we're here too, actually. I don't remember Cybertron very well anymore; I've lived here most of my life cycle."

"Really? Cool!" Miko looked up at her. "Are you a motorcycle too? How old are you?"

Echo groaned internally, but before she had to start answering, Raf spoke to Optimus. "Why were you fighting a war?"

"Foremost, over control of our world's supply of energon, the fuel and lifeblood of all Autobots and Decepticons alike. The combat was fierce, and endured for centuries. In the beginning, I fought alongside one who I considered a brother. But in war, ideals can be corrupted; and it was thus that Megatron lost his way."

Miko sighed. "Is there gonna be a quiz?"

Echo grinned. "Fair question," she whispered to Ratchet. The older medic just shook his head.

Jack shook his head. "So...what does Megatron, or any of this, have to do with us?"

Optimus sighed. "Megatron has not been seen or heard from in some time. But if his return is imminent, as I fear, it could be catastrophic."

Echo's optics widened. She hadn't known Optimus thought Megatron would be returning soon. _How did I miss that?_

"And since you now know of our existence, I fear that as of last night, the Decepticons know of yours."

Jack nodded. "Got it. If we spot any strange vehicles, call 911. Can we go now?"

Miko protested. "Are you _insane_? I'm living a dream here, in _Bot_swana, and I will not allow you or anyone else to shatter it!" Echo rolled her optics at the pun.

"It is best that you three remain under our watch," Optimus informed them. "At least, until we can determine our enemies' intentions."

"Wait - _here?_" Echo stared in shock. Ratchet shot her a _let-me-do-the-talking_ look, before turning to their commander. "Optimus, with all due respect, the human children are in as much danger here as anywhere."

"Children?" Jack looked offended.

Ratchet ignored him. "They have no protective shell! If they get underfoot, they will go - _squish_!" Echo grimaced at the thought, then added, "And it's not like it would be hard to step on them, they're so small!"

"Then, for the time being, Ratchet and Echo, we must watch where we step."

Echo pressed a servo to her forehead with a groan.


	5. Chapter 5: Annoyances

**Author:** T'Reilani

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **As usual, Echo cusses a bit in Cybertronian.

**Summary:** A lot happens, and at the same time, not much.

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

"normal"

_thoughts_

**radio**

::comm::

**A/N: Primus, this turned into a novel all by itself!...and not much actually happens. Oh well. Hope everybody enjoys it anyway. Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate them!**

Chapter 5: Annoyances

All six Autobots turned to the console as the proximity alarm went off, a green glow flashing over the room.

Jack practically jumped out of his clothes. "What's that?"

Bumblebee beeped and whistled, raising both hands. Raf translated. "Proximity sensor. Someone's up top."

Echo activated the visual feed. Ratchet leaned over her shoulder to look, then groaned. "It's Agent Fowler."

The younger medic had to resist the urge to pound her head on the console. "Now? Of all times, _now_?"

Jack, who was apparently speaking for the group, looked nervously at her. "I...I thought we were the only humans who knew about you guys."

Optimus turned back to look at him. "Special Agent Fowler is our designated liason to the outside world."

"And an _un_designated pain in the aft," Echo grumbled.

The Autobot leader ignored her. "As he tends to visit only when there are...issues, it may be best if you do not meet him at this time."

The three children moved quickly around the corner, as the elevator activated. Just before it opened, Ratchet gave his daughter the look that clearly meant, _Don't upset him._

Agent Fowler started ranting the instant the door opened. "Seven wrecks, thirty-four fender benders, a three-hour traffic jam, and a particular note, numerous reports of a speeding motorcycle of unknown make, and a black and yellow custom muscle car." He glared ferociously at both Echo and Arcee. The older femme ignored him, while Echo glared right back.

He continued, apparently unfazed by having an Autobot - if a rather undersized one - glaring at him. "So. Anything you wanna get off your tin chest, _Prime_?"

Optimus bent slightly to look him in the eye. "We have the situation under control, Agent Fowler."

"They're back, aren't they?" the agent demanded.

"If you are referring to the Decepticons, I have doubts that they ever left. Your planet is much too valuable."

Agent Fowler's eyes narrowed. "Then it's time to wake up the Pentagon."

Echo rolled her optics. "You _cannot _be serious - " She stopped as Ratchet gripped her shoulder, hard.

"Hear me, Agent Fowler." Optimus didn't seem bothered by the interruption. "We are your best, possibly your only, defense against the Decepticon threat."

"Says you," Fowler retorted. Echo opened her mouth to really chew him out, but Bulkhead beat her to it. "Hey, fleshy! Did _anyone_ get splattered on that freeway? Team Prime knows when to use force -" Echo's optics widened as he ripped one of the diagnostic scanners off the wall "- and how _much_ to use." With that, he crushed the scanner.

Echo shrieked angrily, "Bulkhead!" just as Ratchet yelled, "I needed that!"

"Enough." Optimus glared at the three of them for a moment, then turned back to Fowler. "Military involvement will only result in catastrophe. Perhaps you can condone widespread human casualties, Agent Fowler. I, however, cannot."

"There's one casualty I'd condone right now," Echo muttered, narrowing her optics at him.

He ignored her. "Then do us both a favor, and handle this, Prime_. Under_ the radar." As he stepped into the elevator, he added, "Or I will."

Echo waited until the door shut to growl angrily, "Oh, sure. What's he gonna do, walk up to the 'Cons and tell them, 'Get off our planet, we didn't sign a treaty with you, so you can't stay?'"

Bulkhead shrugged. "You never know. Pretty big bearings, for a human."

"Agent Fowler is concerned for his world, Echo," Optimus reproved her. "As he should be."

A signal popped up on the computer console. Ratchet shook a fist at it. "Blasted Earth tech!"

"Now what, Dad?" Echo moved over to look at the problem.

"Cliffjumper's signal just popped back online."

"No way." Echo stared at the screen. "No fragging way."

"Language, Echo." Rachet nudged her shoulder.

"Who's Cliffjumper?" Miko sounded as cheerful as ever, but no one answered her.

Optimus walked over to see for himself. "How is that possible?"

"It isn't." Ratchet rolled his optics and threw up his servos. "Another bug. The system's chock-full of them."

Arcee looked up, tensed. "If there's any chance Cliff's alive..."

"Ratchet, prepare sickbay. We may need it." Optimus activated his battle mask.

Miko was practically jumping up and down. "Hey! What can we do?"

"Remain with Ratchet and Echo." Optimus started toward the groundbridge, followed by the other three.

Miko's shoulders slumped. "Aww!"

Echo and Ratchet exchanged a glance, then groaned simultaneously.

The human children started asking questions the second the groundbridge activated. The first few were natural; they wanted an explanation of the groundbridge, which Ratchet gave them while Echo fiddled with the computer.

"A scaled-down version of space-bridge technology." The older medic was trying - and failing - not to sound annoyed. "Since we don't currently possess the means or the energon required for intergalactic travel."

"You're stuck here. On Earth." Jack stated the very obvious.

"With the likes of you, yes." Ratchet glared at him before turning back to the computer. Echo shot him a concerned look; he didn't need to be _that_ rude, even if they were irritating.

Ratchet didn't seem to notice; his next words held just a hint of pride. "But I constructed the groundbridge to enable travel from here to anywhere on your planet."

"Whoa!" Raf stared in astonishment. "Does it work for humans?"

"I believe the human phrase is 'duh'," Echo said. "Of course it does."

Miko ran to the edge of the platform that was closest to the green femme. "You mean I could just shoot on over and visit my parents in Tokyo?"

"Within moments," Ratchet said, getting a slightly evil grin on his faceplate. "In fact, allow me to send you there immediately, all three of you."

"Dad..." Echo muttered quietly. "Easy."

"Yeah, watch it!" Miko followed up immediately. "Didn't your leader - Optimus or whatever - want you to take _care_ of us? That probably doesn't include sending us to _Tokyo_. Although it'd be fun! So...it's Echo, right? And you're Ratchet's kid."

"Yes." The femme tried not to sound short.

"Cool!" Miko grinned. "So who's your mom? Is it Arcee?"

"No." Echo didn't bother disguising her irritation this time.

"Really? Then who is it? Is she here? Are there other Autobots on this planet too?" Miko clearly couldn't take a hint.

Echo turned to glare at the human girl. "Her name was Moonracer. And she's offline. Dead."

"Oh." Miko actually went quiet for a minute. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too." Echo turned her back, desperately hoping the kid would get the idea.

"So when was that?" Apparently, no such luck.

"A long time ago." Echo glared fiercely at the computer screen.

Miko scrambled down the stairs. Jack followed, a bit slower. Miko poked curiously at the shattered control console in the corner. "What is this, anyway?"

"Broken," Ratchet said curtly, returning to the computer. "Don't touch."

Miko reached for another piece of equipment.

"Don't touch that either."

"Is there anything in here we _can_ touch?" Jack asked sarcastically.

Echo rolled her optics. "If I say 'no', you'll ignore me anyway."

The computer beeped loudly, and an error message popped up on one of the screens. Echo slammed a fist down on the console with an angry growl.

"How come you guys are using _human_ computers?" Raf was still on the platform.

"You think we want to?" Echo banged at the console again, with no result. Ratchet clarified. "It certainly wasn't by choice. It was handed down from the previous tenants when we inherited this _former missile silo_." His tone indicated he thought it would have been better left to rust. "I make modifications as I see fit."

Ratchet typed in a few commands. The only result was that several error messages popped up on all of the screens. The older medic groaned, and Echo resisted the urge to punch the screen.

"I...think I can fix that," Raf offered.

"You? Oh _please_." Echo rolled her optics yet again. "Give me a break. You're what, a quarter of a vorn old?"

"I'm twelve," Raf said, sounding insulted.

"Great, even younger than I thought." Echo groaned. "You know, on Cybertron you wouldn't even be allowed _near_ this stuff?"

"I know what I'm doing." Raf flipped open his laptop.

"Really." Ratchet rolled his optics with the look that clearly said _I'm not buying this_. "You know this is _complex_ technology, don't you? I mean, it isn't a child's toy."

Raf looked up with a grin. "Now try."

Echo and Ratchet looked from him, to each other, then back at him, then finally at the computer. Ratchet flipped the switch, and the error signs disappeared, to be replaced by the image Echo had been trying to bring up.

They both stared at Raf for a moment, then turned away again. Echo whispered, "Okaaay, not quite what I expected. What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Ratchet snorted quietly. "I think that was luck."

"Fine." Echo reached back toward the computer, only to be stopped by Miko's voice.

"What's that?"

"Don't touch it," Echo said automatically, turning to see. "What's what?"

"On your face. Is it a tattoo?" Miko pointed.

Echo's hand flew to her right cheek, rubbing the thin line under the metal skin. "No. It's a scar."

"Really?" Miko actually looked _excited._ "I didn't know robots could get scars! Where'd it come from? I bet you got it in battle! With a really big, scary Decepticon! And you kicked his butt! Am I right? Huh?"

Was there nothing humans couldn't come up with as far as crazy stories went? "No," the femme said, cycling her vents slightly. "Nothing like that at all." It would have been nice to leave it at that, but she knew Miko wouldn't drop it until she had an explanation. "I was just about three vorns old - I think in your years, that's ten? Eleven? Back on Cybertron, anyway. It was right after a big battle, and I was carrying a laser scalpel, going to put it away. I slipped on some energon that was still on the ground, and the rest is basic."

"Oooh," Miko gasped, probably trying to sound sympathetic.

Jack joined the conversation. "I bet that hurt! What did your dad say?"

"Why would I have anything to say other than what I usually would?" Ratchet turned his glare from the computer to the humans. "It's not like it was deliberate."

That apparently ended the conversation, because the humans returned to talking among themselves. Echo, with one last look to make sure they weren't messing with anything important, went back to her computer programming. She couldn't avoid overhearing snatches of the discussion, though.

"...can we trust them?" Jack, of course.

"Why not? I mean, come _on_, dude! This is like, awesome!" If Miko ever wanted to keep a discussion secret, she would have to learn to keep her voice down.

"It's not...a choice." Raf was doing better, so quiet her audio sensors only picked up half the sentence.

The comm system beeped frantically, as Optimus's voice echoed through the room. "Ratchet! Bridge us back! Use the arrival coordinates NOW!"


	6. Chapter 6: Shadows

**Author:** T'Reilani

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **None.

**Summary:** The Autobots return from their mission. With some mysterious goo. ;)

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

"normal"

_thoughts_

**radio**

::comm::

**A/N: Guess who finally decided to update! Sorry for the wait, people. I'll do my best to be more consistent about this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews make me happy! **

**Chapter 6: Shadows**

Echo flipped the switch rapidly, as Ratchet input the coordinates. Seconds later, the other four Autobots emerged from the green glow, followed by...was that exploding _energon?_

"Echo!" Ratchet barked, reaching past her to shut off the groundbridge. "Pay attention, girl."

"Sorry, Dad," she muttered, cooling vents switching on.

"Cutting it a bit close, Optimus," Ratchet growled, nodding to his daughter in acknowledgement of the apology. "What about Cliffjumper?"

None of the others needed to say anything. The looks on their faceplates told the whole story. Echo shuttered her optics. As hard as it was to lose a friend, it was even harder to have their hopes raised, then dashed.

Miko started chattering again. "What was that explosion? Was there a fight? Can I come with next time?"

Echo spun around, snapping with more venom than she meant to. "Shut _up_, kid!"

Miko flinched, and Jack grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, hey, Miko. Uh...let's go see what the 'bots...hide in their sock drawers."

"Seriously?" Miko grumbled, but allowed Jack to lead her away.

Echo gave one last glare back at the humans, before turning her attention to Optimus, who was speaking. "Arcee, what did you see?"

"Not Cliff." Arcee had the same tone she'd used after Cliffjumper's death. "At least...not anymore. He was...mutated...butchered...like something from those 'Con experiments during the war...ah!"

Echo darted forward as the older femme fell to the ground. "Arcee!"

"I'm fine!" Arcee waved her off impatiently. "Just...dizzy."

"That's not good." Echo took Arcee's arm, ignoring her slight protest, and guided her into a sitting position as Ratchet scanned her. The scan turned red, indicating a foreign substance.

Ratchet examined Arcee's arm. "What is this?"

"Don't know." Arcee leaned slightly against Echo. "Cliff was covered in it. Leaking it."

Ratchet scraped off a bit of the purple goo with a small tool and examined it. "Go take a decontamination bath. Now." He turned to his daughter as Bumblebee helped Arcee up. "Echo, did you touch it?"

"No, Dad." Echo showed him her arms. "I didn't touch that hand at all."

"Good." Ratchet ran a scan anyway, which made Echo sigh, but she had to admit the logic in double-checking.

Jack held up his phone. "Uh, Optimus, I hate to bug -" _You practically _are_ a bug,_ Echo thought grimly "- but...no bars."

"A security precaution. The silo walls isolate all radio waves," the Autobot leader informed him.

"Well, if I don't call my mom - like, now - I'm pretty sure the cops will be out looking for me."

"Why, what'd you do?" Echo automatically reached for the computer, ready to scan the Internet for a solution. "Did you break a law or something?"

"Uh...curfew." Jack shrugged, then added unnecessarily, "It's after ten p.m."

Raf chimed in nervously. "Yeah, I gotta get home too, or I'll be grounded for a year."

Bumblebee beeped a question, and Echo concurred. "Bee's right. Why _does_ it matter? You're safe."

"Earth customs." Optimus shot her a look that said _you're not helping_ as he turned away from the humans. "I hadn't considered. But the issue of your safety remains."

As the team leader continued, Echo leaned over Ratchet's shoulder, whispering. "What is _with_ humans? Don't they think their children have any survival capabilities? I've been your assistant almost since I was old enough to transform! And that job involves a lot more than just staying out late."

Ratchet shrugged. "Not our problem. Of course, they are a rather...fragile species."

Optimus, having instructed Bulkhead and Bumblebee to guard Miko and Raf respectively, turned to the medics. Echo winced, knowing one of them was about to end up babysitting a human.

"Ratchet?"

"Busy," the older medic snapped. "And before you ask, so is Echo."

Optimus sighed slightly, turning to the last member of the team. "Arcee, you'll accompany Jack."

Arcee groaned. "Oh. Still dizzy."

Ratchet waved a hand dismissively. "You're fine, says your physician."

Arcee stomped off with a heavy sigh. Echo held in a giggle.

"Thanks, Dad. _Really_ didn't want that job."

"Don't thank me," Ratchet growled, although the look in his optics completely contradicted his tone. "Can't handle this on my own. We now have this stuff to analyze, as well as the computer to keep working with. It's going to be a long job."

"Lovely," Echo deadpanned. "I didn't want to recharge anyway."

"Yeah, me neither," Ratchet shot back. Optimus nodded to both medics. "I'll be on patrol. Contact me if there's a problem."

Echo leaned over the computer console, humming quietly to herself as she worked. Whatever Raf had done seemed to have improved things considerably.

Ratchet's computer beeped repeatedly. "Hmm."

"What?" Echo turned to see what he was doing.

"The base elements of this..._goo_ are like nothing I've ever encountered." Ratchet turned and removed his sample from the computer. "It must be extremely concentrated to have affected Arcee so rapidly."

"Maybe...it's some kind of Earth mineral?" Echo took a closer look at the readouts. "Or something Cybertronian, contaminated with Earth minerals?"

"Could be, could be." Ratchet glared at the slide. "Unfortunately, complete results are slow coming without proper diagnostic tools, thank you very much, Bulkhead."

Echo actually did giggle this time. "Maybe we can still fix it. Is it okay if I work on this back in the other room? I think I need to enter it into the other consoles manually."

"Fine by me." Ratchet made his way over to the full-size scanner and started working.

Echo hummed quietly as she continued entering the new program into Optimus's computer. She'd lost track of time a while back, but that wasn't a problem as long as she didn't have anything else to do.


	7. Chapter 7: Dark Energon

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Summary:** Exactly what the title says.

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: My brain wouldn't let me rest until I wrote this! It's short, but I hope you enjoy it! Again, reviews make me happy! **

**Chapter 7: Dark Energon**

"Wha…huh?" Echo's optics onlined rapidly, as her chair shot out from under her. She landed on her back on the floor, staring up at Ratchet.

"HEY! What was that for?"

"Thought you didn't want to recharge," Ratchet said, smirking slightly. "Come on, kid. Everybody's still out and I need your help with analyzing that stuff from last night."

Echo took the offered servo and pulled herself upright. "You're still working on that?"

"Yep. Couldn't get much done last night." Ratchet led the way out into the main room. "Thank goodness for peace and quiet."

Echo opened the analysis program on the computer, as Ratchet leaned over the magnifier, still muttering. "Houseguests can be such a bother."

"You can say that again." His daughter rolled her optics. "See anything?"

"Nothing of –" Ratchet's voice trailed off at the clatter of metal. "Was that you?"

Echo shook her head, instinctively edging closer to him. "Maybe it was just…something falling."

"Hmm. Could be." Ratchet obviously wasn't convinced, but reached for the magnifier again.

_Clatter, clang._

"Okay." Echo looked around, wide-opticed. "That was _definitely _not me."

Ratchet straightened up and moved to her side. "Optimus? Is that you?"

Echo flinched at the skittering sound. "Uh, Dad?..."

"Echo, _get back!" _Ratchet shoved her behind him as the small object shot toward them. "By the Allspark!"

Ratchet dodged, and the little creature landed on the console. Keeping Echo behind him, Ratchet swatted at it with one wrist-sword, only to have it jump away and land on another diagnostic tool, which, of course, it broke.

"I needed that!" Ratchet took another swing at whatever-it-was. It landed on the floor and skittered toward them rapidly. Echo covered her mouth to prevent a scream.

Just before it would have landed on Ratchet's chest, a shot sent it crashing to the floor. Echo turned to see Optimus retracting his cannon, then spun back just in time to see her father step on the object. "And _stay_ broken!"

Echo shuddered. "What the spark was that?"

"I have a grave suspicion." Optimus looked from one medic to the other. "Dark energon."

"Wh-what?" Echo's jaw dropped. "Is that even possible?"

"If the residue Arcee found on Cliffjumper brought your broken equipment to life, it would stand to reason that the very same substance brought Cliffjumper back from the dead." Optimus closed a small container around the pieces of broken metal.

"Huh. That would account for his life signal inexplicably coming back online, but…dark energon?" Ratchet shook his head. "It's so scarce as to be virtually nonexistent. What would it be doing on Earth?"

"I didn't even know it existed!" Echo gestured toward the computer vaguely. "I thought it was just…a story. Something you told sparklings; you know, like all those stories about mutant rock monsters. What humans would call 'fairy tales'."

"It is definitely real, Echo." Optimus shook his head. "As real as energon itself. It had to have been transported here."

"Who would bring that kind of thing here?" The small green femme shook her head.

"Megatron."

Ratchet hmmph'ed again. "For what purpose?"

"To conquer this planet." Optimus looked carefully at the youngest of their group before finishing. "By raising an army of the undead."

The room's temperature seemed to drop several degrees, as they each thought about that possibility. Ratchet finally broke the tension with an awkward chuckle. "Well, Megatron will need to break quite a few toaster ovens. I mean, where on this world would he find that many Cybertronian dead?"

Echo waited impatiently for the answer, only to hear the screech of tires as the other three arrived with the humans. She groaned quietly as Optimus started his command. "Autobots, prepare to…"

Arcee raised a hand. "Roll out?"

"Remain here." Optimus looked down at the humans. "Ratchet, you'll come with me. Arcee, we'll be outside communications range for some time, so I'm putting you in charge."

Arcee followed him toward the groundbridge. "Optimus, with all due respect, playing bodyguard is one thing. Babysitting's another. Besides, Ratchet hasn't been in the field since the war."

"So what?" Echo glared at Arcee indignantly, as Ratchet yelled from across the room.

"My pistons may be rusty, but my hearing is as sharp as ever."

"For the moment, it's only reconnaissance." Optimus turned away, indicating the matter was settled.

"Can I come?" Echo looked hopefully up at Optimus, who shook his head.

"No. Remain here with the others."

"Please?" Echo tried widening her optics and pouting, which worked for Bumblebee occasionally.

"That answer was final, Echo." Ignoring her disappointed expression, Optimus turned to Ratchet. "Bridge us out."

Echo sighed. "Bye, Dad. Stay in one piece."

"Same to you, kid." Ratchet waved briefly before following Optimus into the groundbridge.


	8. Chapter 8: Not On The Activities List

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Violence and Echo's Cybertronian potty-mouth.

**Summary:** Storming the Decepticon base was NOT on the activities list…it is now.

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Some action this chapter! Thanks for all the reviews, they really encouraged me and kept me writing! Keep sending them! I'm so glad people are still enjoying this! **

**Chapter 8: Not On The Activities List**

Echo slammed the door to the lab a couple of times, hoping Miko would get the hint. She didn't. Echo groaned and covered her audios, grumbling under her breath. "Music, my aft! Sounds like someone threw a bomb in a storage closet and didn't get clear in time. Arcee had the right idea, going on patrol."

Irritation finally got the best of her, and she stomped out toward the main room, intending to give the humans – and Bulkhead – what-for. However, when she entered the room, another sound was adding to the racket.

"HEY! MIKO!" Echo yelled at the top of her vocalizer, trying to get their attention. Miko stopped 'playing' and glared at her. "We were just getting it! What's your problem?"

"The fact that the proximity sensor is going off and NO ONE SLAGGING NOTICED!" Echo slammed a fist down on the console. "Only one human that could be. And the only one I want to see _less_ than you three right now."

Bulkhead looked around frantically. "Quick! Hide!"

The trio of humans scrambled behind Bulkhead's leg just as the elevator door opened and Agent Fowler stormed out, yelling. "Prime!"

"Agent Fowler. Uh, he's not here." Bulkhead looked away awkwardly. "Nobody's here! 'Cept me and Echo, of course."

Echo rolled her optics as Fowler continued ranting. "Well, where did he go? Wait, don't tell me. He's out pancaking a mini-mall. Now, I don't know what language you bots speak on your planet – "

"Cybertronix," Echo interrupted flatly. "Iaconian dialect."

"Whatever!" Fowler smacked the rail. "Prime promised he would handle the Decepticons, and blowing a crater in the middle of Nebraska is NOT what the word 'handle' means in English. So you tell Prime – " He stopped and stared at the amplifier, which was screeching and shifting, thanks to a cord that disappeared behind Bulkhead's pede. "Since when are you bots electric?"

Echo just hid her face in her servos with a groan as the three children made their way into view, Miko still holding her guitar. Jack waved. "Hey, how ya doing."

Fowler reacted…predictably. "Contact with civilians! Team Prime has really gone off book this time. Wait, don't tell me. You're running a day-care center."

"You might say that." Echo edged around Bulkhead's side. "Agent Fowler, all due respect, this is our business."

"We're, uh, interns!" Jack gestured toward the two Autobots. At the skeptical eyebrow from the government agent, Raf added, "Student interns!" Jack looked around, then added, "Earning extra credit in, uh…autoshop!" "Robotics!" Miko tried to finish the sentence early.

"Oh-kay, let's move it. I'm taking all three of you into federal custody." Fowler made his way down the steps. "It's for your own protection."

_Boom._ Fowler jumped as both Autobots stepped in the way. "WE'RE protecting them," Bulkhead growled.

"Is that so?" Fowler stalked toward the phone. "Well, maybe you can explain that to my superiors at the Pentagon."

"Don't. Touch. That. Phone." Echo glared down at him. When he grabbed it anyway, Bulkhead leaned down and stabbed a finger through the control circuits.

"It's…out of order."

Agent Fowler practically snarled. "This isn't over! Not by a long shot."

"You wish. Goodbye and good riddance." Echo hit a button on the console, slamming the elevator door shut barely a second after he got inside. Turning away, the young medic rubbed her forehead. "I bet Dad's having fun. I'm going to go work in the lab. Keep the noise down."

Echo locked the door, trying to forget the humans via research into dark energon. Which worked remarkably well, until Bulkhead smashed through her door.

"Bulkhead, I _needed_ that!"

Bulkhead didn't even notice her irritation. "We just got an SOS. From Fowler!"

"Really." Echo poked at her datapad. "And this concerns me how? You're in charge, you deal with it."

"The location scan was incomplete."

Echo deliberately clicked another link. "Oh well. Not my problem."

"But the Decepticons might have him!" Jack hopped over the broken chunks of Echo's door. Raf and Miko followed. "And he knows your location!...Our location."

The green femme raised her head to glare at him. "In case you three hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly Optimus. And neither is Bulkhead. We go after him, odds are we'll end up in the scrap heap. Is that really what you want?"

"She's got a point." Bulkhead sighed. "Besides, we can't do anything even if we wanted to. We lost the transmission."

"Maybe I can narrow it down." Raf opened his laptop, prompting an optic-roll from Echo. "The government started microchipping their agents – you know, like pets."

"Good analogy." Echo sighed and put the datapad away. "Fine. Bulkhead, if the kid finds him, how do you want to play this?"

"Uh…I dunno. I guess you and I go get him, and the kids stay here."

"Normally, I'd argue." Echo moved to the groundbridge console. "Unfortunately, I can't think of anything better. Rafael, coordinates?"

"Latitude 39.5, longitude…116.9."

"Got it." Echo powered the bridge. "Bulkhead, let's roll."

He looked at the humans. "Okay. Wait here. Uh, Jack! You're in charge."

Echo hesitated for a second before following Bulkhead through the bridge, feeling unnaturally tense.

She landed right beside him, dirt flying as she skidded. "Okay…Fowler?"

"Uh-oh." Bulkhead pointed toward the dark ship. "The whole Decepticon shebang."

Echo cycled her vents hard. "Uh…Bulkhead. Maybe we should call for backup."

"There isn't any. What's got you spooked?" Bulkhead looked down at her.

"Nothing, I just…don't like this." She stared at the ground. _No way am I backing out now. I trained for this, I'm ready, I'm ready…_

"Huh. Well, c'mon, let's get under cover before the 'Cons spot us."

Echo ducked behind a rock as several Vehicons looked their direction. Bulkhead had done the same, a few feet away. The two Autobots exchanged looks as one of the guards walked right between them.

"Alright! What's the plan?"

"Miko?" Echo stared at the human with a mixture of shock and fury, as the Vehicon spun around and targeted the human girl with his weapon.

"Miko, get down!" Bulkhead broke cover and sprinted toward his charge as the Decepticon fired, just barely missing. The huge Autobot smashed head-on into his opponent, both of them crashing to the ground.

"Here, hold him still!" Miko tried throwing a rock, only to have it bounce off harmlessly. Bulkhead scooped her up and dumped her on the other side of the nearest rock, yelling, "Echo! Watch her!"

_Oh. Right._ Echo darted forward and seized the small human girl just before she could run back into the fight. Yanking her back behind a rock, the medic hissed furiously, "What the slag do you think you're doing? This is no game! You were told to stay at the base!"

"But…I…"

"NO!" Echo snapped. "You could get us all killed! I'm going to comm base for the groundbridge, and you are going to GO THROUGH IT AND BACK TO BASE. And stay there. Is that clear enough for you?"

A screech and crash alerted Echo to the fact that Bulkhead had ended his fight. She loosened her grip on Miko, allowing her to run forward to see what had happened. For her part, the medic had already seen, and was horrified by, the image of a Cybertronian's spark literally ripped out of his chest.

"Bulkhead…was that really necessary?"

"He was a Decepticon! He could have killed us!" Bulkhead blinked. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Echo turned abruptly away. "I'm calling base. Arcee, do you read?"

The older femme answered her comlink immediately. ::Loud and clear, Echo.::

Bulkhead opened his own comm line. "We have a situation."

::They're children! Humans! Just…do whatever.::

Echo looked at Bulkhead, who looked away. With an irritated sigh, she explained. "I'm not sure 'whatever' is going to help much when we're looking at the 'Cons' base, and Miko followed us here."

::You're where? SHE'S where?::

Echo groaned. "Just get here ASAP. I'm going to send her back to base. Jack, do you read? Jack? Raf? Anyone? SLAG!"

"What's taking so long?" Bulkhead looked back at her. Echo facepalmed. "Who knows?"

"Dude! The Cons could be putting the clamps to Fowler right now!" Miko gestured expansively. "Let's just storm the joint!"

The arrival of the groundbridge cut short the verbal smackdown Echo was ready to deliver. "Finally. Let's…what the FRAG?"

Jack and Raf stumbled forward. "Whoa, are your bones vibrating?"

Echo heard the all-too-familiar hum of a weapon powering, and looked up. The Vehicons had seen the humans, of course.

"Scrap, slag, frag…" Echo lashed out with every word she'd ever heard Ratchet use on a particularly bad day. "Stupid pit-slagged _humans_!"

"Echo, move!" Bulkhead transformed and took off, stopping just for a second to pick up the two boys. The medic followed, dodging laserfire that seemed to be coming at insane speeds. _They always say time slows DOWN during a battle!_

Bulkhead screeched to a halt behind the nearest large rock, letting the humans out, then raced back to Echo. "Follow me and stay close. We're gonna make a run for it!"

"Run for what?" Echo shrieked, obeying his orders nonetheless. "Are you crazy? We should take the humans and get out of here! Or at least wait for – SCRAP!" A laserbolt pinged off her rear wheel, doing no damage, but stinging all the same.

"Hurry up!" Bulkhead shot under the ship and transformed, starting to make his way up the cliff.

_Right…cliff climbing. Slag. I wanted to go with Dad, but no… _Echo transformed at the base of the rocks and activated her twin wrist-mounted blades. They were normally meant for surgery, but in a pinch they should work as climbing spikes.

Halfway up the cliff, Echo almost slipped as a Vehicon fell past her. Laser fire echoed off the rocks above, and Echo winced, automatically processing the likely results of that fire.

She managed to scramble up over the edge of the ship (after a spark-stopping jump) just in time to see Bulkhead crush a Vehicon with his own body. Apparently not seeing her horror, the huge Autobot stood up. "Finally…where's Miko?"

A loud banging sounded from Bulkhead's chest plates, and he opened them to reveal the gasping human. "Whoo. I heaved on your floormats. Sorry!"

He set her down carefully, and she dropped to her hands and knees. "Remind me never to do that again."

"Remind you? I'll do more than remind you!" Echo stomped forward, just in time for an apparently not-dead-yet Decepticon to tackle her and send her flying across the ship. With a yelp, she crashed into one of the projections, instinctively kicking at her attacker.

The pressure on her body vanished as Bulkhead ripped the Vehicon away, punching him into the ground before sending a chunk of debris flying into two more.

With an awkward shrug, Bulkhead held out one servo. "Next time, try to hit him first."

She accepted, struggling back to her feet and sighing at the dents. "Got it. Thanks." But even as she said it, the medic wasn't sure she could go through with that.


	9. Chapter 9: First Blood

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Violence. One or two Cyber-swears.

**Summary:** There's a reason Ratchet generally doesn't fight...one that Echo's about to learn.

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, people! Keep sending them! This chapter gets a bit darker psychologically (sorry!) but I felt really good about it, so I hope you like it.**

**Also, I finally found Echo's theme song! It's _Citizen Soldier_ by 3 Doors Down. Check it out, it's perfect for her!**

**Chapter 9: First Blood**

The inside of the Decepticon ship was dark and damp, drawing a slight shiver out of Echo as she flattened herself against the wall. _Oh, why did I agree to do this? I should have said "to the Pit with Fowler" and finished my research._

Bulkhead glanced around the corner, then sprinted forward. Echo debated the merits of transforming – she couldn't run quite as fast as the bigger Autobot – but decided against it. The floor was too slick for really good traction.

As demonstrated by the fact that when Bulkhead tossed Miko forward, she slid right between the two Vehicons that had just entered their path.

"Watch it!" Echo ducked as Bulkhead smashed one of the Vehicons into the wall right beside her. She grimaced at the result. "Bulkhead! Please! Isn't there any way we can, I don't know, get through here _without_ killing every single thing that gets in the way?"

Bulkhead scooped up Miko and kept running. "What is with you today?"

"I've never actually been in a fight before! At least not a real one! Okay?" Echo struggled to match his pace.

"What?" Bulkhead turned to look back at her. "Tell me you're joking."

"Nope. LOOK OUT!"

"Friendly!" Arcee yelled quickly before Bulkhead could flatten her.

"Oh. Hello."

Echo sighed with relief. "Finally! Now let's find Fowler and get out of here. Before anyone else gets hurt."

"Uh…" Jack and Raf both looked at her. "He's in the brig."

"Great." Echo rolled her optics. "Let's go."

Bumblebee beeped frantically. Arcee sighed. "Too late. What'd you do, send a message saying 'we're on our way, have a welcoming committee standing by'?"

Protective instincts kicking in, Echo dropped to her knees and scooped all three humans into her arms, shielding them from the enemy lasers with her body as the other Autobots fought back. She couldn't hold back a horrified groan when a Vehicon part bounced off her shoulder, but she stayed down and kept her optics locked on the kids. _This is war, it's how it is…don't panic, don't lose it now…_

Bumblebee pulled her upright, gesturing toward a nearby door. Arcee and Bulkhead were already inside. "Clear. You three – " Arcee pointed to the humans " – stay in here. Echo, stay with them, keep them here. We'll be back."

Echo sat down and tried to relax. Unfortunately for her sanity, Miko and Jack had decided to argue. Again.

"You wanted us to be a band. Doesn't that usually mean playing _together_?"

"Well, maybe I decided to go solo!"

"Well, maybe I have some regard for your safety!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, is your name Optimus? You can leave my protection to Bulkhead, thank you very – "

"SHUT UP!"

Both of them shut up and stared at Echo, who was on her feet.

"Alright, you two, that's it! Enough arguing! Look, I don't want to be stuck here any more than you do, but fighting about it is NOT going to solve anything! So unless you have something _useful_ to say, mute it and sit down. Am I making myself clear?"

"Uh…yeah." Jack sat down on the edge of the walkway, quickly joined by the other two. "Hey, hang on. What'd' you make of that?"

Raf started to make his way down the steps. "I dunno…is it a plan for something?"

Echo picked him up and set him on the floor. "Could be. I do know it's important, or it wouldn't be encrypted."

The four of them stared up at the screen for several long moments before Echo spoke again. "We need to bring this back to base, somehow. I can't read it as-is, and I don't have time to break the code."

"How do you know it isn't just a recipe for space nachos?" Miko shook her head.

"Uh, what?" Echo blinked, completely lost. "Whatever 'space nachos' are, this isn't a recipe for them."

"She's right," Raf added. "That is one serious equation."

"Well…Echo…can't you just download it or something?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Echo scanned the keypad. "There's touch sensors all over this thing, and I'll bet anything you like they're encrypted to respond only to a 'Con energy signal. If I make one mistake, they'll send a message to the control center, and this place will be crawling with Vehicons."

"I've got a flash drive," Raf offered. "But I can't see anywhere to plug it in."

A thudding sound reached Echo's audios, and she looked up to see a Vehicon on the upper walkway. "Scrap. Quick, hide!"

Miko and Jack obeyed, ducking back into a corner. But Raf?

"Leave the backpack!" Echo didn't dare move to get him. She would definitely attract attention. "Just leave it!"

Raf reached his bag and slid one strap over his shoulder. Just then, the Decepticon looked in his direction, and time slowed down.

Raf's frightened gasp sounded far louder than it should, as did the laser shot. Echo leaped from her hiding spot, landing in a roll in front of the Vehicon. As she stood up, the laser pointed past her, directly at the humans…

"Not on my watch, Decepticon!" Echo could hear her own shout, and watched, almost detached, as her right wrist-blade activated and shot forward…straight into the weak point at the center of the chestplates…and all the way into the Vehicon's spark chamber. Her servo smashed the two plates apart, and energon splattered across her arm and shoulder as she jerked her blade free, hurling the Decepticon straight into the screen and console.

Then time jolted back to normal, and Echo realized why Ratchet didn't spend nearly as much time in combat as the other Autobots.

Echo felt almost as though she was watching someone else, as she frantically pulled the Vehicon's chestplates back, ready to stabilize his spark if necessary, only to realize his spark was _gone_. Not just injured; literally destroyed. Staring in horror at her energon-stained servos, she could only repeat one thought, over and over.

_I killed. I killed. Primus, no…I killed._

"Come on!" Echo was jerked back to reality by Miko's shout. "I got a picture of the screen, let's get out of here before any more show up!"


	10. Chapter 10: Medic's Code

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Angst. Lots of it.

**Summary:** A medic's code encompasses a lot…

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: "Coding" is a concept I came up with for this chapter. Basically, when an Autobot chooses to be a medic and completes basic training, they receive a 'coding chip' that is implanted into their CPU. From that point on, that chip provides their 'prime directive', so to speak: it gives them the basic code that they live by, and in extreme situations, they will act according to the priorities the chip dictates unless they override it. The coding chips work similarly to the Matrix, in that they hold all of the knowledge the medic accumulates throughout his or her lifespan, and if the chip is removed, they will lose all of the knowledge they have gained since the chip's implantation. However, they would not lose their memories, and the coding chips are never used by more than one medic. Like I said, I came up with the concept; it's not canon. But if anyone likes the idea and wants to use it, go ahead.**

**Long, complicated author's notes aside, enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 10: Medic's Code**

_Focus. Focus._ Echo forced herself to step away from the Vehicon's lifeless shell and toward the door. "Right…wait, Miko!"

The human girl was already running out the door, but Echo could hear the sound of engines. "Miko! Stop!"

"It's okay, friendly!" Bulkhead held up a hand to stop Echo from coming after him – _not that he needs to worry_, she thought grimly – as Bumblebee stopped to pick up the humans.

"Come on, Echo, let's get out of here! We've got Fowler."

Echo blinked, taking a moment to register Arcee's order before transforming. "Right…get out of here." Her CPU wouldn't stop repeating, over and over. _I killed him. I overrode my coding to heal and I killed him. I killed him. _She barely registered the change in temperature and light as they left the ship and sped across the dirt toward the last known bridge location.

"Echo. Echo!"

She jolted as Bulkhead's voice finally registered. "Uh, what?"

Arcee's engine hummed impatiently. "The groundbridge! You've got the mini-activator, so get us out of here before the 'Cons catch up!"

"Oh, right…sorry…" Echo fiddled with the panel on her right arm for a moment before opening it. A slight shudder ran through her as she touched the drying energon. _Not mine. His. He's dead. And I killed him._

Thankfully, groundbridge activation was one of the easiest tasks to do, even from a distance, and the familiar green glow appeared in front of them. Numbly, Echo followed Arcee into the bridge.

The moment her pedes touched the floor of the base, she took off, half-running toward the washracks, before being stopped by a curious whistle from Bumblebee.

"I don't know, I'm not a human medic!" _I'm an Autobot medic. Who used her knowledge to kill._ "Just…put Fowler on one of the human-sized stretchers in the back storage room. Scan says he's stable. We'll ask Dad if there's anything else we can do."

With that, she bolted into the washrack and locked the door behind her. Slumping against the tiled wall, she stared at the energon stains. It wasn't the first time she'd had it on her, of course; treating injuries could get pretty messy, especially if you were working in a recent combat zone.

_But this is different. I wasn't healing. I didn't fix him. I killed him._

Shivering, she turned on the water, running it on the highest setting, desperately scrubbing at her arms even after the last traces of energon disappeared. She didn't stop until she heard Arcee pounding on the door.

"ECHO! Get your aft out here! Optimus and Ratchet are on their way back, and they're injured."

_What? Dad's hurt? No!_ Echo shut the water off and quickly towel-dried herself, running out into the main room just as Optimus Prime and Ratchet stepped out of the groundbridge. Even from across the room, the younger medic could see that both of them were covered in dents and scrapes, Optimus was bleeding from a gash in his upper chestplates, and Ratchet's right arm was hanging limply at an awkward angle.

"What happened?" Almost welcoming the distraction, Echo ran forward, offering her father a shoulder to lean on. "This is battle damage…what happened?"

Ratchet accepted his daughter's help, letting her guide him to a chair. "We engaged an army of undead Cybertronian warriors."

Miko squealed. "Zombies? You fought zombies and I missed it?"

As Optimus responded, Ratchet gestured for Echo to tend to their leader first. "Go on, I'll work on my injuries myself for a moment. Make sure Optimus is alright."

"Yes, Dad." Echo made her way to Optimus's side with a light metal-patch and a welder. "Prime, if you wouldn't mind sitting down…"

"No, I wouldn't." Optimus settled down on the ledge next to the control console, allowing her to reach his wound. "Thank you, but shouldn't you tend to Ratchet first?"

"He said to handle your injuries first. And since you're the one bleeding, I have to agree." Echo started cleaning the cut, but froze when a trickle of energon ran down her arm. _I killed…and now I'm trying to heal? _

"Is something wrong?"

"Uh…no, sir." Echo finished the patch job as quickly as she could. "There, that should integrate in a few hours. Just be careful with it." Without waiting for a response, the femme practically sprinted across the room to her father.

Ratchet already had the supplies out. "Here. I know I don't have to tell you what to do." Normally, such an expression of trust from the senior medic would have thrilled Echo, but right now she couldn't manage much more than a slight smile.

Ratchet noticed, of course. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Echo muttered, focusing very hard on the brace she was wrapping around her father's arm.

"Echo." Ratchet placed his good servo over hers, holding her still. "Don't try to lie to a medic. Your servos are shaking, you froze while you were working on Optimus, and now you can't even look at me."

She bit her bottom lip component. "It's nothing, really."

"Mm-hmm." Ratchet stood up. "Let's go back in the medbay for a minute, okay?"

Reluctantly, Echo followed him into the other room. Ratchet shut the door behind her before settling down on the one bunk. "Okay, come sit down and tell me what the problem is."

"I…I can't."

"Yes you can." Ratchet looked her straight in the optics. "Tell me."

She stared down at her servos. Yes, they were definitely trembling…and she couldn't take her eyes off the trickle of energon on her wrist.

"Echo?" 

"I….there was a Vehicon that showed up while I was watching the humans, and…" Echo struggled to get the words out. "He was going to attack them…I just…I couldn't…I had to do something, and I just acted, I didn't think…"

"You killed him." Ratchet stated the fact quietly.

"Yes." She blinked rapidly, feeling a tiny amount of fluid gathering in the corners of her optics.

Ratchet stood up and moved to her side, gently wrapping his good arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "Echo…it's alright."

"No, it's not!" Echo gasped, almost desperately. "I killed him…I killed him! And I didn't even have to think, I overrode my coding without even trying…and I didn't use my combat training, it was _medical training_! I knew where the weak point in his armor was, and I used it…I killed him!" Her voice rose to the point of near hysteria.

"Shh, shh." Ratchet rubbed her shoulder. "I understand. Killing – even when you had to – is never, or should never, be enjoyable. I've been where you are, and I know how difficult it is. But let me set your mind at rest about one thing; you didn't override your coding."

"What?" Echo looked up, startled. "But I had to! I wasn't doing anything that involved it…"

"Yes, you were." Ratchet sat down again, pulling her with him. "Tell me what your base coding is."

"Um…" This didn't make sense, but if Ratchet asked… "To heal those who are sick and injured, to care for those who need my care, and to protect those who need my protection…"

"There." Ratchet nodded. "Right there. You were protecting the ones who needed your protection: the humans. That's why you could use your medical training and that's why you didn't have to think; you were doing your job. You did exactly what needed to be done. Your task as a medic is to heal _and_ protect. Sometimes one has to override the other."

"But…killing? How is that…it just…"

"I know." Ratchet cut off her protest. "It's hard. And if I could I would have made it so that you would never have to deal with this. But as long as the Decepticons threaten, there will be times where we need to kill. It's not easy; it's never easy. But right now, the other Autobots need us to be strong. The humans need us. Sometimes we have to do things that hurt us, in order to make sure they don't get hurt. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah…I think so." Echo reached for the brace again. "Let me finish this before it gets worse."

"Alright." Ratchet turned to give her better access to the injured arm. "This does remind me, though. At some point, I do need to teach you _how_ to override your coding."

"What?"

"Careful with that, don't want you to lose a finger." Ratchet motioned to the welder. "And here's why. You said that it didn't take any actual thinking to use your training. That's because your coding was directing what you did. It would have done the same thing regardless of who you were up against, and that's why you might need to override it. Otherwise, you could end up in a fight you can't win. If that had been Starscream or even Megatron, you still would have attacked him before thinking it through, and I don't need to tell you why that would be a bad thing. So once things have settled down a bit, we'll take some time and work on that. Okay?"

"Okay." Echo finished applying the brace. "All done. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot! Just before the Vehicon…attacked, the kids and I were looking at what I think was a plan for something."

"In the Decepticon base?" Ratchet tested the strength of the brace. "Good job."

"Thanks. Yes, it looked kind of like our groundbridge specs, except multiplied by a lot. If that's a groundbridge, it's the biggest one ever." Echo led the way back into the other room. "Miko? Can I – where's Jack?"

"He left," Arcee said flatly. "Apparently he doesn't want to end up in danger like that again."

"…Oh." Echo sighed; Fowler was going to be really ticked, if he ever woke up. "Miko, can I see that picture you took of the plans in the Decepticon base?"

"Oh sure!" Miko held up her phone, and Echo motioned for Ratchet to take a look. He glanced at it, then back at her.

"I don't understand."

"Oh, sorry." Miko switched pictures. "That's the 'Con who tried to blow Raf away."

"You took a picture of him?"

"Don't ask."

"Hmm." Ratchet studied the correct picture.

Echo leaned over his arm. "What is it?"

Ratchet shook his head. "I'll have to run this into the computer…but I can tell you one thing. It's important, and it's not a groundbridge."


	11. Chapter 11: Final Frontier

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Nothing in particular.

**Summary:** Megatron is building a space bridge.

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Guess who decided to update again! :D I may not be able to get online again for about a week after tomorrow, so I'm trying to get my stories updated quickly. Enjoy and review please!**

**Also, a story recommendation: _Desert Sunrise_ by Lynn Jones! It's got a really interesting premise and it's well written! Plus it has my movieverse OC Riella in it! So check it out, please!**

**Chapter 11: Final Frontier**

Echo sighed, fiddling with a wrench. "How long is this going to take?"

"Don't know," Ratchet replied absently, still leaning over the console. "Shouldn't be too much longer though. Decode's almost finished."

"Huh." Echo subspaced the wrench and returned to the minor console adjustments that weren't really necessary. "Sooner the better."

The computer beeped sharply, and Ratchet stared at the screen in shock. "It can't be."

"What?" Echo dropped the welder and ran over to look, as her father turned to yell into the main room. "Optimus!"

"Dad, what _is_ this?" The femme studied the specs closely. "It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen."

"These are engineering specs for a space-time vortex generator." Ratchet shook his head.

Optimus growled softly. "Megatron's building a space bridge. If he hasn't already."

"Well, let him!" Bulkhead stepped out of the groundbridge, followed closely by Bumblebee. "The sooner he leaves, the better."

Echo sighed. "Bulkhead, think about it. This is not a good thing!" At his puzzled look, she clarified irritably. "A space bridge runs in _two_ directions."

Optimus nodded. "Megatron may not be using it to leave Earth, but to bring through his conquering army."

"The 'main event' Megatron referred to?" Ratchet shook his head. "But the only place Megatron could possibly recruit that many fallen warriors…"

Echo shuddered as Optimus spoke. "Precisely. Cybertron. We cannot allow Megatron to send Dark Energon through his space bridge. If we fail, the dead of Cybertron will rise, swarm through its vortex, and invade Earth."

A sudden, horrifying thought struck the young medic. _No…that couldn't…wouldn't…_ "Dad, you don't think…Mom…"

"NO!" Ratchet snapped, keeping his back to her. "No. Not possible."

But Echo knew it was all too possible, and her muscles tensed at the thought of her mother – the faint image she remembered, anyway – as one of the creatures under Megatron's control…_no! _

Without bothering to excuse herself, Echo spun around and left the main room. Barely stopping to notice that someone – Bulkhead? – had repaired her door, she stalked into her room and grabbed a datapad. If they were going to be trying to stop undead Cybertronians, they had to know how.

Hours later, she was distracted from her 'pad by a knock on the door. "Come in," she called dully, optics fixed on a short entry from a war-era medical journal. _Dark Energon poisoning is a result of dark energon making direct contact with an injured Autobot's spark or central processing unit…_

"You should try to get some rest."

Echo looked up to see Arcee. Blinking with surprise, she responded, "I'm fine, and this needs to be done. But thanks."

"Hmm." The older femme sat down on the bunk. "I know what the problem is, you know. Been there, done that. With Cliff."

"Oh…" Echo honestly didn't know what to say to that.

"Right." Arcee nodded quietly. "You're thinking about your femme creator. But it won't happen."

Echo glared at her. "How do _you_ know?"

"Because I'm not going to let it happen," the warrior said firmly. "Megatron **will not** bring an army of the dead to Earth. Cliffjumper died trying to stop the Decepticons. I'm not going to give up now. If he's going to conquer Earth, it will be over my offline body."

The medic could feel the intensity in Arcee's tone, and it sent courage through her. "I'll stand with you. No matter what, Megatron will not win this."

Face set grimly, Arcee nodded and reached out a hand. Echo grasped the other femme's forearm, looking straight into her optics. "Till all are one?"

"Till all are one." Arcee squeezed Echo's arm lightly before letting go. "Bulkhead and Bumblebee went to get their humans, and I'm going to go get Jack."

"Wait, didn't Jack leave?" Echo tried to remember exactly what it was she'd been told.

"Yeah, or so he thinks, but I'm not letting him walk out that easily." Arcee shook her head with a wry chuckle. "He wants to be here, he just thinks he can't."

"Oh-kay…" Echo shrugged. "Your human, your call."

"Exactly. Oh, by the way, your dad said for me to tell you to come help him with the space bridge specs. He's figuring out where it is."

"What?" The femme medic jumped upright. "Why didn't you say so before?"

"'Cause you needed to talk." Arcee laughed. "Now move it!"

Echo ran out into the main room, skidding to a stop beside the main computer console. "Dad, Arcee said you wanted me?"

"Yes," Ratchet glanced at her briefly. "I need you to start running these equations through the computer as I give them to you. Done properly, this should give us the exact location of this particular space bridge."

"Got it." Echo sat down and started entering the numbers that Ratchet brought up on the screen. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Just did, didn't you?" Ratchet brought up another sequence. "Yes, you can, just not 'What chance do we have?', because I'm not answering."

Echo giggled, a bit nervously. "Wasn't going to ask that. I wanted to know, if Megatron could build a space bridge, why haven't we?"

"No time, not enough raw materials…" Ratchet shrugged. "And beyond the general ability to leave the planet, which we're not going to do, there's no reason for us to have one. I'm sure you agree we don't need any extra work, and nobody else has the qualifications to actually construct one."

"Hmm." Echo fiddled with the cable, hoping to get the computer to work faster. "So then who built Megatron's?"

Ratchet brought up another equation on the screen. "Could've been anyone, theoretically, but I'm going to guess Starscream or Soundwave. Starscream was a scientist back before the war – no, you wouldn't remember, but I had a friend who worked with him once – and who knows what Soundwave is capable of, if Megatron orders it? Given the detail in these specs, though, I think they were written back on Cybertron, maybe even by Autobot or Neutral scientists, and then encoded later. They could have had this planned for a long time, just waiting for the right time to use it."

"That would make sense." Echo finished entering the sequences. "I think that's it! Did it work?"

"Yes, it looks like it." Ratchet turned and gestured. "Optimus, we've pinpointed the location of Megatron's space bridge. High in Earth's orbit."

"Out of our reach." Optimus sighed, and Echo bit her lower lip component, hard.

Miko, standing beside Bulkhead, waved a hand. "Okay, so you guys don't fly. But can't you just groundbridge there?"

Echo shook her head. "A groundbridge has limited range. Stretched all the way into orbit, its vortex could snap."

"Scattering us to the stars," Ratchet elaborated.

Optimus clenched one fist slowly. "Since Megatron is most likely already in transit, I'm afraid we must take that risk. Reaching the space bridge first is our only means of stopping him."

"We'll do our best, Optimus, but…" Ratchet shook his head slowly. "I don't know."

A horn sounded from the entrance tunnel, and Jack and Arcee pulled in. Echo's optics widened. _Well, what do you know. She was right._

"Hey…guess who's back."

Optimus nodded a brief greeting to Jack. "Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Arcee, prepare for departure."

"Where to?" Arcee raised a hand.

"The final frontier." Miko smiled.

"Megatron's space bridge," Echo clarified. "Assuming the groundbridge works."

As the children said goodbye to their guardians, Ratchet took the controls and pointed to the computer. "Echo, keep the coordinates locked and do not look away from that screen. If I tell you, change the coordinates to a location on Earth immediately. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Echo glanced up at Optimus. "Good luck?"

Ratchet glared at their commander. "Optimus, if you leave us stranded on a planet teeming with humans, I will _never_ forgive you."

Optimus almost smiled. "Until we meet again, old friend. Autobots, roll out!"

Obeying orders, Echo kept her optics on the screen in front of her, resisting the temptation to watch them leave. "Dad…I think the bridge is stretching again…"

Ratchet opened a comm channel. ::Optimus, you need to hurry! The bridge isn't designed to take this kind of stress.::

::Acknowledged. Maximum overdrive!::

Echo held one servo over the keypad, ready to change the coordinates if the bridge started to buckle. A moment later, however, Ratchet cycled his vents in relief. "Transport successful. All humans present and accounted for?"

Slumping in her chair and looking around, Echo nodded. "Yep. Three kids and a government agent."

::Optimus, do you copy?:: Ratchet checked the comm lines' stability.

::Yes, Ratchet. I read you loud and clear.::

"Good." Ratchet turned away from the console. "Well, then…this is it."


	12. Chapter 12: Darkness Rising

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Violence, Echo's Cybertronian 'words'.

**Summary:** I finally got to the end of "Darkness Rising". In my defense, it's a long episode.

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Finally, the end of "Darkness Rising"! But don't worry, I'm not stopping here. I will continue through the rest of the series, probably with one or two chapters per episode. This story will go through Season 1, and I'll start a new story for Season 2. While Echo will not appear in every single episode, I'm writing a few completely new episodes that will focus on her. **

**Chapter 12: Darkness Rising**

Echo paced the room slowly, glaring at the floor in the absence of a Decepticon. "What is going _on_ up there?"

Arcee, on the space bridge, obviously had the same thought. ::Well, what are they waiting for?::

Ratchet gestured for Echo to be quiet, as Optimus spoke over the comm line. ::It appears the Decepticons have sustained severe damage to their interstellar navigation dish.::

"Huh?" Miko looked around as if expecting a schematic of an interstellar navigation system to appear. "What's that mean?"

Ratchet turned to look at the trio of humans. "Without the dish, Megatron will be unable to lock on to Cybertron, and unable to activate the space bridge."

"Don't the Decepticons know where their own planet is?" Raf blinked innocently.

"Naturally," Echo huffed. "But Cybertron is _light-years_ away. To use a space bridge, their aim would have to be astronomically precise. Hence, the interstellar navigation dish."

::If Megatron went to the trouble of rendezvousing with his space bridge, he must have an alternate targeting system,:: Optimus reasoned. ::A remote one.::

"Huh," Ratchet made a noise suspiciously similar to a snort. "From what I know of Earth's technology, I doubt there exists a radio-telescope dish on this planet powerful enough to pinpoint Cybertron."

"What about a whole bunch of linked radio-telescope dishes?" Echo whipped around to see Raf at the computer console. "Like the giant-size array in Texas?"

"This is not child's play!" Ratchet pulled him away from the console, but Echo took a closer look.

"Wait, Dad…maybe it could! If they coordinated all of them…"

::Good thinking, Raf.:: Ratchet glared at the comm speaker, but Optimus continued. ::Ratchet, have Agent Fowler alert the array staff to the security hazard.::

Echo turned toward Agent Fowler, who sat up and pointed at her, yelling hoarsely. "You! Soldier! You're outta uniform! Put on some pants!"

_Thud._

Echo giggled almost hysterically, still not quite clear of the energy charge that accompanied stress. "That…may be a challenge."

Raf settled down in front of the computer again. "I can get partway in…but I can't break through their firewalls. They're too thick."

The younger medic scoffed quietly. "You actually think you could keep the Decepticons out?"

"Maybe. _If_ I could get in."

"Hmm." Echo suddenly glanced at Ratchet. They'd both had the same thought.

"Rafael, what if someone could get _all _the way in?" Ratchet gestured.

Jack's eyes widened. "Like, inside the building, in. Yes! Raf, could you do it from the inside?"

Before either Autobot could protest that sending a human into the building wasn't really what they'd had in mind, Raf was nodding enthusiastically. "Sure! I could log onto their internal network on the other side of the firewall."

::The risk is too great,:: Optimus said firmly. ::The Decepticons will be there, perhaps even on site.::

"Optimus, all due respect…" Jack squared his shoulders. "You said it yourself. This is bigger than the safety of three humans."

"Yeah!" Miko waved her hands even though Optimus couldn't see her. "If Megatron wins, we're fragged too. Along with the rest of the planet."

"I want to give it a shot," Raf added.

::I cannot send you in there alone.:: The Autobot leader was using his do-not-disobey-me voice, and Echo knew what she had to do.

"They won't be alone, Optimus." Cycling her vents, the medic raised her chin proudly. "I'll go with them and keep them safe."

"Absolutely not," Ratchet snapped. "If anyone's going, it'll be me. You are staying right here."

"Dad…" Echo reached out and placed her small hand over his. "It's the only way. You'd never fit inside a human building, even in vehicle mode. I will."

Ratchet gripped her hand so hard it almost hurt. "I can't send you in there. You'd be alone…against whatever Decepticons are there."

"I know," Echo responded quietly. "But we have to stop them, and I'm the only member of the team that can stay with the humans the whole way. This isn't about us, Dad…" Willing him to understand, she looked pleadingly up into his optics. "This isn't even about Team Prime. It's about a whole planet."

Ratchet stared back at her, then grabbed her shoulders. "You come back safe! You hear me? I don't care if you haven't blocked the Decepticons out yet – if they find you, call for a bridge immediately and I'll get you back here. Don't try to take them on, any of you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Dad." Trying to smile, Echo hugged her father hard. "I'll come back," she whispered. "But this is what we have to do. We have to."

"I know," Ratchet growled, almost crushing her against his chest before letting go. "Alright, where is it I'm bridging you?"

A few moments later, the groundbridge opened just inside a metal fence surrounding the radio-telescope array. Echo shook off the slight reverberating sensation and turned to look for the children. "Everybody in one piece?"

"Uh, yeah," Jack groaned. "But that'll take some getting used to."

"Oh, the feeling never goes away." Echo transformed.

Miko reached for the handlebars eagerly. "Do I get a ride or what?"

The small green motorcycle swerved away neatly. "No. I'm a medic, not a taxi service."

"Aww!" Miko pouted, but followed Jack and Raf. Echo brought up the rear, sensors on high alert. She was already picking up a Decepticon signal.

"Be careful, Jack," she called as the human opened the door. "There's a 'Con already inside. Let me go first."

Jack stepped away from the door and allowed the motorcycle to lead the way. Rolling down the hall as silently as possible, Echo spotted a door and ran a quick scan of the inside room. "There's a computer, and no 'Cons. Let's go."

Raf and Echo went straight to the computer, while Miko checked outside the door and Jack paced nervously. "How's it going?"

"I'm in!" Raf gestured, and Echo knelt to look.

"Good work, kid, but so are the 'Cons. See the schematics? We'll have to work fast."

"Should I download the schematics?" Raf held up a flash drive. "It might come in handy."

"Yeah, go ahead." Echo transformed one of her fingers to a smaller shape and started typing. "They're syncing the bridge to the radio-telescope dishes…but I can block that by intercepting the signal and transferring the message back to them."

"Won't they know?" Jack leaned around her elbow, trying to see.

"They might be able to see she's in the system." Raf grinned. "But they won't know we're in the house."

"Precisely." Echo input several more commands. "Although I doubt they'll see I'm actually in the system. Uh-oh."

"What?" Miko and Jack both responded simultaneously.

"They're locked on to Cybertron!" Raf pointed.

Echo smirked. "Not for long. Here's why I came with you." A small cable extended from her left wrist and plugged into the computer. "Raf, I'm blocking the signal. Input a command for the dishes to return to neutral."

There was a quiet _clunk_, and Echo clenched her fist. "Take that, Megatron."

A soft clicking caught her attention, and she turned to see a security camera. "Well. I'll just take care of that. Raf, keep the dishes at neutral."

One quick smack of Echo's fist shattered the small device. "Ha! Now who's running the place?"

"AAAAA!"

Echo spun just in time to see a huge metal cable hurl Miko and Jack into the wall before curling back toward Raf. "Oh no you don't, 'Con!" She stepped directly in the way, blocking the cable's path. It whipped around her right wrist, jerking her away. As she stumbled against the wall, she shouted, "RAF! MOVE!"

The boy grabbed his flash drive and jumped clear just in time, as the cable smashed down onto the chair. Echo pushed herself upright in time to see Miko running toward the cable with an…axe?

"Miko! No!"

Too late. The cable easily knocked the girl away and snatched the weapon.

"You handed it an axe?" Jack yelled.

Echo dived forward, landing in a roll in front of the humans. "Leave them alone!"

The cable curled upward, then retracted out the door. The Autobot raced after it, making a grab for the axe, but it slammed into her chest, hurling her against the wall hard. Her CPU flashed several urgent warnings, then everything went black.

She onlined incredibly slowly, warnings still flashing. "Unh…what happened? Where's the 'Con?"

"He cut the hard line," Raf murmured quietly. "The dishes are locked onto Cybertron…for good."

_No. It can't be. All that…for nothing?_ Ignoring the ache in her midriff, the medic pushed herself upright. "Dad…we need a bridge."

Echo stumbled out of the groundbridge, staring at the floor. Ratchet took her arm, helping her to a seat. "Are you hurt?"

"It's minor. I'll live." Echo looked up desperately. "Dad…we failed."

"I know. It wasn't your fault." Ratchet pointed to the screen.

"The dark energon," Echo muttered. "Slag it all. Now we've got all of Cybertron's dead coming at us." _Not Mom. Please, not Mom._

Agent Fowler, apparently somewhat recovered, limped forward. "How do we beat a whole _planet_ of the undead?"

Ratchet opened the comm line. "Optimus, I'm registering a rapidly expanding mass in the space bridge vortex. It has a dark energon signal."

::Ratchet, we must destroy the space bridge.:: Everyone's jaw dropped, but Optimus continued. ::There's enough live energon coursing through it to achieve detonation, but we lack the firepower to ignite it.::

"If I knew how the space bridge was engineered, I might find a technical way of accomplishing that feat." Ratchet shook his head.

"Uh…Dad?" Echo pointed to Raf, who was holding up his flash drive. "We have something for you."

"Would schematics help?" Raf handed the small object to Echo.

Ratchet looked from the humans to his daughter. "Optimus, I must say. The space bridge is our only hope of ever returning to Cybertron. Are you certain its destruction is the only option?"

::I am afraid so.::

Echo's shoulders slumped. "If there's dark energon there…we can't go home anyway, can we?"

Ratchet nodded slowly. "Then by all means, let us light our darkest hour."

::Autobots, take your positions and follow Ratchet's lead.:: Echo ran to her computer station as Optimus continued. ::While I make my stand.::

"Echo, I need a full scan of the lower section, ASAP. Anything that might be a weak point. I'll take the upper half."

"Got it." Echo started running through the schematics, reading faster than a human could ever hope to achieve. "Here! It's not much, but…"

"Good work, Echo. Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, I'm sending you the coordinates for the weak point. Let me know when you're there." Ratchet took over the computer.

"These things are getting closer," Agent Fowler pointed out unnecessarily. "That's bad, right?"

"Bad is an understatement." Echo gently pushed him out of the way. "Stand back and let me work."

::Ratchet, we're in position,:: Arcee called.

"Arcee, pay close attention." Ratchet looked across the room. "Echo, start scanning the bridge for any Decepticons besides Megatron. Now, Arcee. There's a line along the lower side of the bridge. Follow it from the flow regulator – where you are – to the energon pump."

::Got it. Next?::

Echo looked over the schematics. "There should be a valve. Small, circular…"

::I see it.::

Ratchet nodded grimly. "Now, to turn all that power against itself, all you need do is reverse the current."

Echo's spark pounded as they waited a few desperate, incredibly tense moments. _Come on, come on…_

::Current reversed.::

"YES!" Agent Fowler practically jumped off the walkway, then looked around at everyone staring at him. "Right?"

"Yes and no. We're not out of the smelter yet." Echo looked back at her screen. "Arcee! There's several 'Con signatures coming your way."

"I'll ready the groundbridge. You know what to do, Echo." Ratchet reached out for the controls.

"Yes, sir."

On the screen, the space bridge flashed brilliant colors as the current began breaking it apart. Echo gripped the edge of the table so hard it crumpled. "Optimus, we're waiting!"

::Autobots, jump!::

The groundbridge vortex pulsed as they entered. "Come on, come on…" Ratchet muttered, checking the controls repeatedly.

"Do you think they're…" Raf's voice trailed off.

"Four life signals," Echo said curtly. "One…very faint."

Optimus stepped clear of the bridge, followed by Bulkhead, then Bumblebee. The yellow scout was carrying Arcee carefully.

"Oh no…" Echo hurried forward, Ratchet barely a step behind. The senior medic grabbed a scanner, running it over the charred and melted metal on Arcee's side. "We lost one this week. By the Allspark, don't let it be two!"

Arcee and Jack were talking, but Echo didn't listen, already running across the room to get her father's medical tools. Ratchet looked up from working on Arcee's wound. "And Megatron?"

"Not even he could've survived Ground Zero." Optimus shook his head.

"Prime!" Everyone jumped at Agent Fowler's yell. Echo was ready to yell right back, but he beat her to it. "I didn't get to thank you bots for the save. I owe you one." As he entered the elevator, he added, "We all do."

Echo stared at the door for a moment, then yelled, "ONE?"

Miko, Jack, Arcee, and Bulkhead burst out laughing, and Bumblebee beeped something cheerful. Optimus nodded quietly. "Indeed, Bumblebee. It's good to see that not everything has changed."

"Maybe, but…" Miko looked around nervously. "Is this the part where you say 'goodbye' and tell us we need to forget we ever saw you?"

Echo knelt down and held out one hand. "No. For better or worse, the three of you are part of our team now."

_Without a means of leaving this world, we Autobots take strength in the bonds we have forged with each other and with our three young friends, true warriors; if not in body, then in spirit. My name is Optimus Prime, and I send this message. Though we did not choose to be of Earth, it would seem that we are here to stay. If you approach this planet with hostile intent, know this: We will defend ourselves. We will defend humanity. We will defend our home. _


	13. Chapter 13:Scientific Lack of Progress

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **None.

**Summary:** Ratchet and Echo should _never_ be allowed near science fair projects.

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Like father, like daughter! This is the episode "Masters and Students", by the way. In case it wasn't obvious. ;) "CNA" is canon, from the G1 IDW comics. It's basically the Transformer equivalent of DNA. The information Echo is reading is on symbiotes – smaller Cybertronians like Laserbeak or Ravage from G1 – and isn't canon. I made it up.**

**Also, my first completely new TF: Prime episode is posted! The title is _Showdown_, and it focuses primarily on Echo! **

**Chapter 13: Scientific (Lack Of) Progress**

Echo hummed quietly, poking a welder into a gap in the base walls as she listened to Optimus and Ratchet talking.

"Why so glum, Optimus? This planet – all planets! – are finally free of Megatron's tyranny."

"I do not disagree, Ratchet. It's just…a small part of me hoped to change Megatron's mind. Not extinguish his spark."

"OPTIMUS!" Ratchet gestured irritatedly. "His vileness was not slain by your own hand, but by his own twisted arrogance!"

Optimus made a soft sound that was _almost_ a growl, and Ratchet sighed. "I'm sorry. I know the two of you had quite a history."

"The Megatron whom I once fought beside perished eons ago, the day he chose to become a Decepticon." Optimus spun around to stare at Ratchet – and past him at Echo, who wasn't even pretending to work anymore. "The Decepticons may be in disarray, but they aren't without leadership."

Echo dropped the welder. "But who –"

"Starscream," Ratchet growled. "Megatron's second in command."

Optimus nodded. "And while Starscream is no Megatron, he is far from predictable."

An explosion shook the floor, almost knocking Echo down. Ratchet yanked her to her feet, following Optimus toward the source. "Decepticons!"

The cloud of smoke cleared, revealing a coughing Raf and Bumblebee. "It's not Decepticons, Ratchet…*cough* It's my volcano." He looked sadly at the heap of melted clay. "Was."

"Hold still, Bulkhead!" Miko squealed, holding up a paintbrush. "Jupiter needs its red spot. Whoopsie!" A large splotch of red landed on the floor.

Echo waved the last remaining traces of smoke out of her face. "What in the AllSpark is going _on_ in here?"

"Our projects are due tomorrow." Jack pointed to what looked like a rather pathetic excuse for a motorcycle.

Arcee held up a piece of an exhaust pipe. "Maybe it needs one of these doohickeys."

"You're a motorcycle, Arcee," Jack laughed. "Shouldn't you know how to build a motorcycle engine?"

Arcee placed a hand on her hip. "You're a human, Jack. Can you build me a small intestine?"

"Well, you can't work on these…_projects _in here! You're making a mess!" Ratchet pointed to the paint spots on the floor. "This is a military base!"

Raf's face fell. "But the science fair is a big part of our grade!"

"Yeah!" Miko waved the paintbrush, and Echo ducked instinctively. "If Bulkhead doesn't help me finish this model of our solar system – "

"Oh? And what does Bulkhead know of your solar system?" Ratchet snorted. "Or Bumblebee of your volcanoes? Or – "

"Arcee of their motorcycles." Echo rolled her optics. "We get it, Dad."

"Precisely!" Ratchet pointed a stern finger at everyone in general. "We're not Earthlings. And _they're _not scientists."

"But the Autobots _are_ their guardians, Ratchet," Optimus commented. "Would it hurt to learn more about Earth by helping our young friends with their schoolwork?"

"Well, maybe our young friends should try learning more of Cybertron," Ratchet retorted.

Echo raised an amused optic ridge. "Dad, you're getting that look again. I am NOT running a class on Cybertronians for them, so don't even think about asking." 

"Wasn't going to," her father grumbled, stalking off to the computer. "Wasn't going to."

Bumblebee beeped and whistled, leading Raf to giggle. "I know. Why does she get away with it when we don't?"

"It's called 'medical attitude'," Bulkhead joked. "Medics get away with stuff that no one else could."

"Hmmph." Echo waved a hand dismissively and stalked off. "Since no one needs my assistance, I'm going on patrol."

"No you're not," Ratchet called. "I'm getting a signal from exposed energon, and it's on the move."

"We're not moving it." Echo leaned over his shoulder. "So that means…"

"Decepticons," Arcee growled.

"Without Megatron?" Miko apparently hadn't heard any of the earlier conversation.

"Unfortunately, Megatron's legacy will live on, as others rise to take his place." Optimus turned to Ratchet. "I may need assistance, and these projects still need to be completed."

"Science fair is a big part of their grade…" Ratchet muttered, studying the volcano. "Perhaps I'm better suited to remain behind and…advise." 

"Oh great," Echo groaned. "Dad, really?"

"What's wrong with that?" Arcee raised an optic ridge. "He's right, we're not scientists, and he probably knows more about this kind of thing. Having raised a kid and all, you know."

Echo shook her head. "You've…never seen him when he decides to 'advise'. Just wait. It'll go from 'advise', to 'supervise', to 'kick everybody else out and do it himself'."

"Oh, is _that_ where you got it?"

"Mute it, Bulkhead." Echo shook a wrench at him. "Or I'll do it for you." Ignoring the giggles from the humans, she brushed past her father and sat down at the computer. "My turn, Dad…just try not to blow anything up?"

"Of course I wouldn't," Ratchet huffed. "I generally don't."

"Except for my engine project back on Cybertron," Echo reminded him. "Remember? The full-size take-it-apart-and-fix-it one?"

"A complete accident! Besides, it had faulty wiring."

"Sure, whatever you say." Echo spun the chair around and flicked the monitor back on. "But I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to explode in a ball of fire and send parts flying halfway to Iacon."

Unable to think of a retort, Ratchet stomped away in the direction of the volcano.

About half an hour later, Echo had found some particularly interesting reading material. "Huh. Arcee, did you know that symbiotes don't have to bond to their creator? It's whoever they have the most contact with. So theoretically, I could have a symbiote without actually creating one!"

"Really," the older femme sighed. "You thinking about starting a family or something?"

"What? No!" Echo's jaw dropped. "Don't be ridiculous! It's just a fact, that's all."

"Well, here's another one for you: it looks like your father's bonded to that volcano structure." Arcee pointed. "Or at least he will be, if it magnetizes. Have you seen how much metal he's putting in it?"

"No, I wasn't really watching." Echo swung around in her chair. "By the AllSpark!"

Raf was staring up at the huge metal volcano. "Uh, Ratchet? Shouldn't _I _be doing the work?"

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't touch!" Ratchet brushed him away. "Just watch and learn."

Bulkhead frowned. "So…we're just going to help Jack and Miko with their projects."

"Without my supervision? I think not!" Ratchet activated a welder.

"Dad!" Echo knocked her chair over backward as she stood up. "You're doing it again! Just let the kids have their projects."

"You want them to be _right,_ don't you?" Ratchet flicked the tip of the welder along the volcano.

"Well, yes, but…"

"Then watch a master at work." Ratchet leaned over the volcano with a grin.

"Control freak," Miko muttered. Normally, Echo would have scolded her, but she let it pass. Ratchet was in one of his 'mad scientist' moods, and when that happened, it was usually best to just wait it out. As much as he hated to admit it, Ratchet wasn't really much of an inventor, and was more likely to cause explosions than discover anything new. Echo had learned in the past that irritating him just caused larger and more frequent explosions.

"C'mon, kids," Arcee sighed. "Let's leave the _master_ to work."

Resigning herself to a long afternoon, Echo made her way over to the giant volcano. It did look interesting, especially since Ratchet obviously wasn't sparing details, and there was still quite a bit of work to do. Could it hurt? After all, the humans usually complained about schoolwork…and since they weren't there… "Can I help, Dad?"

"Certainly!" Ratchet gestured to Jack's project. "Motorcycle engines should be your specialty."

Several hours later, the children left for their homes, giving the science projects dubious looks. Miko was heard to whisper something about "hopefully won't take over the school", to which Ratchet just hmmph'ed and stomped back into his lab.

"Will they work?" Bulkhead asked Echo nervously as soon as Ratchet was well out of range. She just shrugged, not wanting to admit that she'd amped up the engine a bit more than necessary, and that the Cybertronian parts she had added would probably change its activity somewhat. _I guess I did inherit some of the mad scientist CNA… _

Almost as soon as they were gone, though, she forgot about it. Mostly because Optimus and Bumblebee, when they returned, were both injured and required quite a bit of maintenance.

"Really, Bumblebee," Echo scolded, welding a patch onto his arm. "Putting yourself at risk? Optimus could have handled it no problem."

The yellow scout beeped and whistled, gesturing in an effort to explain. Echo gripped his wrist, stopping him from moving. "Knock it off. I'm using a welder here. I'm sure you felt it was warranted, you were very courageous, et cetera, but _still_. Not your best call. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's second only to not mentioning _this_ –" she tapped a piece of corroded wiring " – to one of us. It's routine maintenance, Bumblebee; you should know better."

Hanging his head, Bumblebee squeaked an electronic apology. Echo nodded. "Apology accepted."

A horn sounded in the entrance hallway, and Ratchet jumped up with a satisfied grin. "Ah, there you are!"

For whatever reason, though, the kids' expressions weren't particularly happy. Puzzled, Echo tipped her head; was something wrong? Surely the projects had worked; as irritating as the takeover probably was to them, Ratchet hadn't blown anything up, and they had looked very good at the end of the process.

"Well? How were my – er – our projects received?" Ratchet crossed his arms.

"Well…" Raf stared at the ceiling.

Miko sighed. "My teacher doesn't know about Cybertron…and it was too heavy for the display stand."

"Yeah, and who added transforming stuff to my engine?" Jack glared from one bot to the other.

Echo blushed slightly. "Um, sorry…just thought it would make it better."

"BETTER? It smashed through two doors into the girls' bathroom before they managed to stop it!"

"And…the volcano?" Ratchet asked irritatedly.

Raf groaned. "They're really mad about the roof. The science fair wasn't supposed to result in property damage."

"Oops," Echo winced, looking at her father. "Guess we should've left it to them, huh?"

"Well, on _our_ planet you would have been awarded the highest honors!" Ratchet stomped off muttering about "ingratitude, see if I help them…"

Echo rubbed her forehead and looked down at the kids. "Sorry, guys…we were just trying to help, and got a little carried away, I guess."

"A little carried away?" Miko groaned. "I'm _never_ bringing science projects here again."


	14. Chapter 14: Bringing Scrappy Back

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Descriptions of the results of a scraplet attack.

**Summary:** Scraplets. Are. Bad. News.

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**Chapter 14: Bringing Scrappy Back**

Echo ran a scanner carefully over the pod. "I'm not picking anything up. The ice is blocking my scans. Dad? Are you listening to me?"

Ratchet shoved Bulkhead back into a sitting position. "You know prolonged exposure to sub-zero conditions can cause permanent system damage! And yes, I heard you, Echo. Have you tried using the transmitting pulse generator to reach past the blocking?"

"First thing I did," the young femme called back, making her way into the main room. "We'll just have to wait until it thaws out. Hopefully it opens, and isn't some kind of touch-sensitive bomb."

"I'll second that hope," Arcee commented. "Given the size of that thing…"

Optimus turned to the femmes. "Arcee, prepare to roll out. You and I will search for any clues to the origin of our Arctic find."

"Only until your sensors sound," Ratchet warned. "Remember, once your core temperature drops into the blue zone, system failures aren't likely – they're imminent."

With a screech of tires, Bumblebee pulled into the main room and opened both doors. Miko hopped out, grinning and waving to Echo. "Miss us, doc lady?"

"Like I miss a broken arm," Echo grumbled. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"On _Saturday?_" Miko gestured to nothing in particular. "We have the whole weekend off. To spend with you."

Ratchet groaned as Jack walked past him. "I wasn't expecting the carpool, Arcee. What gives?"

"Tag-team, Jack," Arcee explained. "It's my turn for exploration duty."

"Oh, too bad." Jack smirked. "It's a beautiful day. I'd hate for you to feel _guilty_ for leaving me indoors…"

"**Arctic** exploration duty," Echo pointed out with a grin.

"Indoors where it's warm." Jack nodded understandingly. Raf's eyes widened. "The Arctic? I've always wanted to see snow!"

"I would invite you to join, Rafael," Optimus said gently. "But the conditions are too extreme even for Autobots."

Raf sighed. "I understand."

Optimus turned toward the groundbridge. "But I will bring you back a snowball."

"Really? That would be awesome!" Raf's smile returned immediately. Echo chuckled softly before turning to the groundbridge as the two Autobots left. "Transport successful – what the frag?" Jerking her servo back just in time, she stared at the blown controls. "Dad!"

"Okay, who broke what?" Ratchet glared down at the console. "By the AllSpark! Bulkhead, Bumblebee! Here. Now."

Sulkily, the two Autobots left the humans and stomped in their direction. Bulkhead grumbled irritably. "You can't boss us around just 'cause the boss bot's out!"

Ratchet ignored his complaint. "I need some heavy lifting. The groundbridge is down." At Bumblebee's worried beeping, he modified his statement. "No, they made it through just fine. It's bringing them back that concerns me. Now you two start removing those panels. Chop-chop." As the duo started removing the groundbridge's protective covering, the senior medic turned back to Echo. "And you can crawl under the console and start checking for any wiring problems."

"Yes, sir," Echo replied promptly. She could hear her father continuing to give commands as she dropped to the floor and slid into position. Sliding her fingers into the opening, she activated a mini-light and peered up into the tangle of wires and various computer components. And a screwdriver. "Hey Dad, guess what I found!" She worked it free and crawled out, only to see Ratchet holding up one of the small power grids.

"We most definitely have a problem."

"Primus." Echo stared at the mangled metal. "What could've caused this?"

The lights flickered and died. "Or that?"

"Might be the main grid." Ratchet sighed. "Hopefully it isn't a substation failure. If it is, we'll be back there all day."

"Hey guys!" Raf walked into the room. "Look what I found!"

Echo sighed. "We're _busy_ –" Her words trailed off as she saw what Raf was holding. "AAAAAAAAAAAA!"

At her high-pitched scream, the other three jumped upright, weapons powering and pointed toward the tiny metal creature. Echo scrambled backward, trying to get as far out of range as possible, and ran right into Bulkhead.

"Hey, hey!" Miko and Jack ran between the 'bots and Raf. "What's with you guys?"

"Scraplet! Scraplet!" Bulkhead almost knocked Echo over, trying to aim. "SCRAPLET!" Chilling horror pulsed through the young femme at the word, and she ducked behind Ratchet.

Miko raised an eyebrow. "What's a…scraplet?"

"The most dangerous vermin ever to crawl upon the face of Cybertron," Ratchet growled. "And you're holding one!"

"This?" Jack laughed. "Are you kidding me?"

Miko pointed. "Come on, you guys are giant robots! Scrappy here is, like, teeny."

"You have no idea the damage that teeny thing could do!" Echo yelled from behind her father.

"Aww, he wouldn't hurt anything." Raf actually _petted _the scraplet. Its huge optics onlined, and an instant later, the mouthful of chainsaw teeth appeared as it shot out of Raf's arms. Echo screamed again as it shot straight toward them. "NO! Somebody stop it!"

Bulkhead and Bumblebee both opened fire, but the scraplet was too small and fast. Within seconds, it had latched onto Bumblebee's leg and was chewing rapid patterns through the metal. Horrified, Echo tried to swat it, but missed. "DO something!"

Bumblebee managed to flick it off his arm, sending it flying. Before it could get back in range, Raf was in the way, smashing the screwdriver that Echo had left on the floor into the scraplet. "GET AWAY!"

"Bumblebee!" Echo dropped to her knees, staring wide-opticed at the wounds. "That little…" she shuddered.

"I'm sorry!" Raf ran up to the yellow Autobot's side. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"It's just a mesh wound," Ratchet reassured him. "He'll live. We were lucky."

"Now do you believe me?" Bulkhead gestured frantically. "All scraplets do is dismantle things and eat metal! Especially living metal!"

"Well, then…" Jack shrugged. "Bug squashed, game over. Right?"

"With scraplets…" Echo shivered. "There's never just one. And I think I might know how they got here."

"The pod," Ratchet muttered. "It must be a scraplet trap."

Sure enough, there was a large hole in the side of the pod. Bulkhead groaned. "An empty scraplet trap."

"It must have been ejected into space eons ago," Ratchet reasoned. "And somehow it wound up in the Arctic, where the cold kept them in stasis."

"Until we brought the thaw," Miko commented. "Now they're wide awake and ready to brunch."

"And from the size of the trap, there could be thousands of them." Echo looked around nervously, half expecting a swarm of the creatures to drop on her head.

Ratchet shuttered his optics. "The power malfunctions and groundbridge damage are sure signs that their infestation is well under way."

"And without a groundbridge…" Bulkhead's voice trailed off.

"We've got to contact Optimus." Ratchet led the way back to the main computer console. "Optimus? Optimus, do you read me?"

The screen flickered, then went black. "They've gotten into the comm system." The senior medic's voice was quiet. "If we don't eradicate these creatures immediately, they'll reduce the entire base to a scrapheap."

"Well…I say we just bug out of here and let 'em keep it!" Bulkhead clenched a fist, and Bumblebee nodded in agreement. Echo shook her head.

"We can't do that! If we leave, Optimus and Arcee won't have any way to get back…"

"…And they'll die," Ratchet finished. "Evacuation is not an option."

Miko stomped over to her guardian, glaring. "Bulkhead! You _never_ run!"

"Miko, you haven't seen these things devour a 'bot. We have." Bulkhead shuddered. "They rip you apart from the inside out, going for the small, juicy bits first…fuse by fuse, circuit by circuit, until there's nothing left, and I mean nothing! Not even your optics!"

"Bulkhead, _stop it!"_ Echo pressed a servo to her mouth, trying to hold back the gag reflex. She'd seen it happen too…and even for a medic, it was a horrific sight. "Just…we know already!"

"You have to let us help," Jack said resolutely.

Before anyone could ask why, Raf nodded. "Yeah! We're not made of metal, so they can't hurt us."

"Normally I find your _fleshiness _to be the least engaging of your qualities," Ratchet huffed. "But it would appear to provide an advantage under these extremes."

"Great." Jack turned. "So…uh…one human per group. Ratchet, Echo, I'll watch your back while you fix the groundbridge."

"And we –" Miko pointed to Bulkhead and Bumblebee " – go on a bug hunt."

Twenty minutes later, Echo fiddled nervously with her wrench, jumping at every little sound. Jack sighed. "It's fine, Echo. I'm still watching. Just keep helping your dad. Speaking of which, how's it going over there?"

Ratchet growled. "I've repaired the damaged conductors and rerouted the central conduits, but the groundbridge still won't receive power!"

"Uh…Jack…Dad…" Echo backed up. "Do you hear that?"

"Whoa!" Jack's cry caused both medics to jump and turn toward him. Echo screamed at the sight of a swarm of scraplets hurtling toward them at full speed.

**Cliffhanger! *grins evilly* Review please!**


	15. Chapter 15: It Bit Me

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Scraplet violence.

**Summary:** Scraplets. Are. Bad. News.

**Pairing(s): **None

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo

**A/N: Just a quick little chapter to finish up 'Scrapheap'! Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

**Chapter 15: It Bit Me**

Ratchet got the worst of the scraplet attack; he had stepped in front of his daughter in an effort to protect her, and as a result the scraplets had hit him first. Still, plenty of them made it past the senior medic and latched onto Echo.

The scraplets' bites sent horrible pain through every sensor in the femme's body; she had never felt anything even remotely like it. It felt like her outer casing was rusting away at the speed of light, and her cabling was simultaneously tearing open. The scraplets were literally eating her alive, and there wasn't a fragging thing she could do about it other than scream and thrash, flailing at the robotic bugs as she fell to the floor.

She could hear Jack and Ratchet yelling, and her own cries, but the energon loss was so rapid that her audios were buzzing and receiving feedback. All she knew was that Ratchet had been knocked to the floor as well. Desperately, she smacked a scraplet away from her optics and screamed. "DAD!" But between the damage to her face and the feedback, she couldn't see anything. "Dad…"

Suddenly, a servo had grabbed her upper arm, pulling her off the floor. Scraplets went flying everywhere under Ratchet's furious attack. "Leave! My! Daughter! ALONE!"

Gasping for air, Echo slumped against her father's chest, fighting the pain. Ratchet's servos, so rough with the scraplets, gently traced the damage lines on her cheeks and helmet. "Hey. Hey, Echo. I know it hurts, but I need you alert. You hear me, kiddo? Stay awake."

"Yeah. Yeah, I hear you, Dad." The femme shuddered, clutching at him. "Vector Sigma…that was scary…"

"Hey, doc bot!" Bulkhead and Bumblebee stumbled around the corner, the larger mech yelling. "Get the patch kit, we're leakin' energon like – whoa!"

Echo gasped at the sight of the flood of scraplets rushing toward them. Ratchet pushed her behind him as the humans lifted their makeshift 'weapons', ready to take on the metal bugs. "Stay back, Echo! You can't take nearly as much damage as the rest of us, you're too small. Stay back!"

"Dad! Wait!" Echo cried out as the scraplets hit. "No!"

Sure enough, her father's plan was keeping her safe – relatively, there were still scraplets attacking her – but at a cost. As she watched in shocked horror, Bumblebee crumpled to the floor, squeaking and whistling in pain.

Without thinking, the young medic dived onto the ground next to him. "Bee! Hold still!" She swatted frantically at the scraplets on his head and neck, only to have them spin around and attach to her. "Fraggin' little – ow!" Miko smashed a scraplet with a chunk of metal, but left a dent in Echo's arm in the process. "Whoa, kid! The point isn't to do more damage!"

Jack lunged in their direction, spraying the fire extinguisher frantically. Echo almost choked on the dense fumes, but it did the trick. Dead scraplets clattered to the floor around her, leaving ragged gashes in their wake.

"There," Miko smirked, breathing heavily. "Got 'em!"

"Not yet," Ratchet rasped, struggling to sit up. Echo reached out to help him, only to nearly fall forward. "Those were just scouts."

"So you mean…the others know we're in here?" Raf threw a worried look in the direction of the ceiling.

Bulkhead nodded grimly. "Not long now until they show up."

"And if we allow ourselves to become their next meal…" Ratchet shook his head. "Optimus and Arcee will never make it home." Bumblebee whistled an agreement and tried to sit up, but failed. Echo supported him gently. "Easy, Bee."

"If the groundbridge was working, we could just send them somewhere else," Jack theorized. "Back to the Arctic. We already know they don't like cold."

"Yes…" Ratchet pushed himself upright, using the console behind him for support. "Given their low body mass, sub-zero temperatures should freeze them practically on contact. Think, Ratchet, think! If the groundbridge is still down…"

Echo got it. "Of course! There's a breach in the energon fuel line!"

"If we weren't dripping energon ourselves…" Bulkhead gestured to their injuries. "One of us could get back there and fix it!"

Echo and Ratchet exchanged glances, then looked straight at the three humans. Miko grinned and hefted her metal stick. "Just tell us where it is."

"And how to fix it," Raf added.

Echo turned to her father expectantly, but her optics widened in horror as she saw his condition. The red and white medic's head was slumped forward against his chest, and his blue optics were dim. "Dad. Dad! Can you hear me?"

"Hmm…yes…" Ratchet's optics flickered briefly. "'M fine…"

_We're running out of time! _Echo looked frantically from Ratchet to the kids. "Uh, right. The energon feed line is back two corridors. It's the largest pipe in the area. You'll see it. My kit's over on that console. Take it and weld one of the patches over the breach. Got it?"

Jack nodded, grabbing the kit and taking off with the other two right behind him. Echo reached out to her father. "Come on, Dad, stay with us…I need your help. Okay? Stay awake."

Bulkhead sighed. "So if – I mean, when – we get the groundbridge open, do we send the creepy crawlies out, or bring our 'bots in?"

"If we bring Arcee and Optimus in, they'll just be fresh meat," Echo reasoned. "We have to get the scraplets out first, and to do that…"

"We need bait," Ratchet finished weakly. "A reason for them to leave."

"Where we gonna get bait?" Bulkhead glared at both medics. "They've already eaten everything in the place!"

"Except us," Echo murmured, then froze as she realized the implications of that statement. "Except us…"

"Ratchet, all systems go!" The humans sprinted back into the main room. "Fire it up!"

With a desperate grunt, Ratchet pushed himself to his pedes. Echo held out a servo, but he shook his head determinedly. "I've got this! It's my job."

Understanding, she let him go, watching through blurred optics as he pressed the lever down. "Groundbridge…activated!" The moment it was set, he crumpled to the floor. His daughter fell to her knees beside him, trying to care for both him and Bumblebee simultaneously.

"Bait, huh?" Bulkhead struggled upright and stomped toward the bridge. "Hey, c'mon you little creeps! You want the main course? Come and get it!"

Echo ducked instinctively, spark racing, as the all-too-familiar whine of the scraplets' chainsaw teeth shot overhead. She clenched her fists as Bulkhead and the scraplets disappeared into the bridge. "Come on, come on…"

A few moments that felt like hours passed, all three Autobots desperately watching for the return of their comrades.

Then, finally, three figures stumbled into view, drawing a ragged cheer from everyone in the base. Echo gasped with relief. _Safe. It's over._

A few hours later, Echo settled back on the medical berth, shuttering her optics and letting her self-repair systems take over. Her father's hand gently stroked her head the way he had when she was a sparkling, and she could hear him talking to Optimus. For once, she didn't want to listen in, drifting off to recharge. Her last coherent thought was, oddly enough, not about scraplets.

_We were lucky the humans were here. _


	16. Chapter 16: You're Staring Again

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **None.

**Summary:** A new arrival to Earth caught Echo's attention…

**Pairing(s): **None really

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo

**A/N: Here goes "Con Job"! Enjoy and review!**

**Oh yes, and guess who got a Wheeljack action figure this last week! Totally awesome! **

**Chapter 16: You're Staring Again**

Echo's fingertips flew across the keyboard, opening the correct signal. "Dad, Optimus! We've got a signal on a restricted band coming in."

Ratchet looked over her shoulder. "Hmm. It appears to be coming from a starship inside this solar system." A positive identification flared on the screen, and Ratchet's optics widened. "It's an Autobot identification beacon!"

"There are other 'bots out there?" Jack leaned over the railing above the computer system. Echo gestured for him to move back. "Don't fall, kid. Yes, there very well could be; the Autobots scattered to the stars when Cybertron finally went dark."

"But," Arcee warned, "Cons have been known to bait traps with false beacons."

Optimus stepped forward. "Echo, open a comm line." At her acknowledging nod, he continued. "Unknown vessel, this is Autobot outpost Omega-1. Identify yourself."

The comm line crackled with static before an amused masculine voice responded. "I've had warmer welcomes from Decepticon combat brigades."

Bulkhead practically jumped for the comm line, eliciting a squeal of protest from Miko, who was sitting on his shoulder. "Wheeljack, you old Con-crusher! What're you doing all the way out here?"

The mech on the other end responded enthusiastically. "Bulkhead, that you? What's with all the security?"

"The rock we're on is crawling with Cons," the huge Autobot explained. "How soon can you get here and even the odds?"

"Sometime tomorrow, if I put metal to the pedal," came the response.

Optimus glanced at Bulkhead. "Can you verify his voiceprint?"

"He is one thousand percent the real deal!"

The Autobot leader nodded and turned back to the comm link. "Wheeljack, we will send you landing coordinates. Safe journey."

"See you soon, buddy," Bulkhead called before Ratchet ended the line.

Echo fiddled with a nearby wrench. "Wheeljack…I know I've heard the name. Wasn't he a Wrecker back in the day?"

"One of the best," Bulkhead grinned. "Me and 'Jackie go way back. We were in the same unit. The 'Cons are gonna wish he'd never found us!"

"Oh." Echo reached for her datapad. "What's he like?"

"Tough as they come," Bulkhead chuckled. "But trust me, he's a great guy to have around. You'll see what I mean."

"I'll take your word for it," Echo muttered, already lost in the file she'd found on Wheeljack. "I'm gonna go read for a while, okay, Dad?"

"Fine with me," Ratchet replied with a slight smile. "Just try not to get too distracted. I might need you later."

"Got it." Echo disappeared down the hall and into her room.

Arcee glanced at Bulkhead. "Looks like your friend's already a hit. Things might get interesting once he actually arrives."

"Nah," Bulkhead shrugged. "He'll get along fine with her."

The femme laughed. "That could be the problem." At his confused look, she sighed. "Never mind."

Early the next morning, Echo was monitoring the new arrival's progress. "Wheeljack's ship is approaching the landing zone."

Miko squealed. "Do you think he'll stay? He'll need his own human, though…"

"I don't know, kid." Echo almost smiled at the human for once, then ducked as Bulkhead stomped past. "Easy, big guy! I've never seen you so impatient."

"You're gonna love Wheeljack! We were like brothers…" Bulkhead reminisced, paying no attention to the medic. "And tonight, we're gonna party!"

"YES!" Miko pumped a fist. Echo rolled her optics.

"Groundbridge open," Ratchet called, then banged a fist on the console as it sparked. "Blasted scraplets! The equipment hasn't been the same since the infestation."

"So why are you bridging him here instead of just having him fly?" Miko again.

"We can't risk revealing the location of our base, just in case the Decepticons are tracking his ship," Optimus pointed out.

Echo's optics widened as a warning buzzer sounded. "We got Cons. Multiple hostiles, closing fast on Wheeljack's position."

"Con scum!" Bulkhead growled. "Open the bridge, Ratchet! We're missing all the action!"

"Can I go?" Echo pleaded, staring up at her father. "Please?"

Ratchet sighed. "Alright, but stay out of the fight."

"Yes, sir!" Echo followed Bulkhead, Arcee, and Bumblebee into the bridge eagerly. _I finally get to meet a war hero I haven't known since I was little…I wonder what he'll be like?_

They arrived just in time to see the last Vehicon fall, sliced through by one of Wheeljack's swords. Bulkhead grinned. "I taught him that."

"Sure you did," Arcee muttered as Wheeljack approached.

"Ever think I might need a hand?"

"What, and miss the show?" Bulkhead shot back.

Echo glanced over to the left, just in time to see a Vehicon struggling upright. "You missed one."

Without even looking, Wheeljack shot the Decepticon squarely in the head. Echo's optics widened – she wasn't sure whether to be impressed by his aim or shocked by the casualness of the kill. However, Bulkhead gave her no more time to think about it, rushing forward to grab Wheeljack in a crushing hug. The brightly colored Wrecker laughed. "Hey, watch the finish! You wanna introduce me to your friends here?"

"Oh, sure." Bulkhead turned to gesture to each of them. "Bumblebee, Arcee, and Echo."

"Pleasure." Wheeljack nodded to them. Echo managed a slight smile before the new arrival turned back to Bulkhead.

As they made their way into the groundbridge, Arcee elbowed the younger femme lightly. Echo jumped. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You're staring at him," Arcee smirked.

Echo snorted and turned pointedly away. "I am **not** staring!" The moment they reached the base, she went straight to Ratchet, ignoring Arcee's knowing grin and Bulkhead's introductions of Miko and Optimus. _Staring? Huh. _

Her attention was caught by the crash of metal as Bulkhead yelled, "Let's get this party started!"

Ratchet rubbed his forehead with a sigh. "Oh joy."

Echo winced at the volume of Miko's "music" as Bulkhead and Wheeljack started lobbing a makeshift ball back and forth. "Oh joy indeed. Is there something you want me to do?"

"Yes, you can start working on the lower half," Ratchet instructed. "I've already put it in shutdown."

"Got it." Echo slid under the console, pointedly _not_ looking in Wheeljack's direction.

"LOOK OUT!" Ratchet grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way just as the ball smashed into the floor where she had been laying. "Do you mind? I'm trying to perform sensitive calibrations here!"

"Sorry, Doc," Wheeljack shrugged, retrieving the ball. "Guess we're a little charged up."

"You guess?" Echo muttered, trying to think of something else to look at. Wheeljack glanced over Ratchet's shoulder, making that almost impossible.

"Built this bridge from scratch, huh?"

"Yes, we did," the femme replied, running out of excuses to avoid him.

"That's quite a feat of engineering," he commented. "Something wrong with it?"

"I didn't care for the way it sounded this last jump," Ratchet explained. "I put it in shutdown and we're running a defrag on it."

Wheeljack's optics narrowed slightly. "What if you need to use it?"

"Can't disrupt the defrag process without causing irreparable damage," Ratchet pointed out.

"Hmm." Wheeljack took a closer look at both of them. "How long will the defrag take?"

"Just a few hours," Echo replied. "Wait – shouldn't you know that? You were an engineer before joining the Wreckers, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I was." Wheeljack shrugged awkwardly. "It's…been a while, that's all."

"Oh…" Echo murmured, watching him walk away. This time, though, she wasn't thinking about a war hero.

_That's basic groundbridge maintenance! How does an engineer _not_ know that?_


	17. Chapter 17: Deadly Deception

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Violence.

**Summary:** A new arrival to Earth caught Echo's attention…

**Pairing(s): **None really…yet. :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo

**A/N: "Con Job" part 2! Sorry for the wait, my internet went down yesterday right when I was about to post! **

**Chapter 17: Deadly Deception **

"…And the joint went supernova!" Bulkhead gestured to demonstrate, and almost hit Arcee. Miko squealed with delight.

"Awesome!"

"Yeah, I'm still pickin' shrapnel out of my backside," Bulkhead laughed.

Arcee smirked. "I'm not surprised, given the size of your backside."

"That's Wheeljack's signature. One grenade, one shot." Bulkhead turned to his friend, but Wheeljack wasn't looking at him. He was staring at the groundbridge controls again.

Echo pointedly stepped into the perfect position to block his view. "It'll be done when it's done, Wheeljack. Watching won't make the process go any faster."

"Sorry," the Wrecker shrugged with a half-smile. "Habit. Too long inside, I get stir-crazy. I should probably go topside soon."

"Hmm." Echo frowned. _He's a war hero and all…and pretty nice…oh slag, Echo, stop it! You're acting like a silly human femme over a mech you don't even know…and one who's acting weird! Keep your processor where it belongs!_

Wheeljack turned back to Bulkhead. "Maybe Miko here could show me around the base?"

"Sure!" Miko jumped up and gestured toward the entrance to the rec room. "Tour starts now! Do you play any instruments? Can you fly? Have you trashed more Decepticons than Bulkhead?"

Once they were out of sight, Arcee walked over to Bulkhead. "You alright?"

"Yeah." He glanced at Echo briefly. "Just…out of sorts, I guess."

"Don't tell me you're jealous," Arcee laughed.

Bulkhead shook his head. "That Miko's making a new friend? Come on!"

"Wasn't talking about Miko." Arcee looked pointedly in Echo's direction and lowered her voice; the medic's sensitive audios still picked up the words. "She's got a crush, that's all. Relax."

"I do not!" Echo protested. Everyone stared at her for a moment. Bulkhead sighed.

"No. That's not it. Something…something's just not right about Wheeljack."

"Bulkhead, really?" Arcee gestured in the direction Wheeljack and Miko had gone. "He's traveled galaxies, and you haven't seen him for centuries. Maybe he's rocket-lagged, or…well, bots do change."

"Not Jackie," Bulkhead snapped. "I know him better than that."

"He was an engineer before joining the Wreckers, right?" Echo shot Arcee a glare as the older femme stifled a giggle.

Bulkhead rubbed his chin. "Yeah, but that was before I knew him…"

"Huh." Echo turned back to the console. "Then why would he have needed to ask about the defrag?"

"Good point," Ratchet muttered, still watching the screen. "That's pretty basic engineering knowledge. Here we go…almost done."

"Listen, guys," Bulkhead repeated, gesturing somewhat randomly. "I know Wheeljack better than any of you, and – "

"Hey, what're you guys talking about?" Echo spun to see Wheeljack and Miko returning from their 'tour'.

"Oh…" Bulkhead shrugged all-too-casually. "Just telling the guys all about you and me. At the battle of Darkmount Pass?" There was a note in his voice that made everyone turn to look.

"Yeah, that's a…heck of a story," Wheeljack responded with a frown.

"Yep," Bulkhead suddenly snarled. "Tell it."

"Talk, talk, talk!" Miko shook her head. "How 'bout we hear about it _after_ we go offroading?"

"Stay out of this, Miko!" Bulkhead scooped her up rapidly and set her out of the way. Concerned, Echo moved between the two mechs.

"Bulkhead, _easy._"

Wheeljack half-smiled. "I'm not sure I – "

"**Tell it**," Bulkhead growled.

Wheeljack's optics narrowed. "Fine. You wanna live in the past, Bulkhead?" He glared at the green mech for a moment. "We were trapped between a Decepticon patrol and a smelting pit. 'Cons were vicious, bearing down on us with everything they had. Me and Bulkhead engaged the enemy, left 'em for scrap. Then I made us a way out, using their backsides as stepping-stones to cross the molten metal. Isn't that how it happened?"

Echo turned expectantly to Bulkhead, who growled, "Yeah. That's exactly how it happened. Except for one little thing. _I wasn't there_. I'd already left the Wreckers to join up with Optimus…but you wouldn't know that if all you did was access Wheeljack's public service record!"

Ratchet's optics widened as he realized his daughter's position relative to the mechs, but it was too late. By the time Bulkhead's last sentence was finished, Wheeljack was already moving. Echo yelped as his right arm locked around her neck, yanking her back against him, and his other arm pinned her servos to her sides.

"Stay back!" he snapped, as Bulkhead stepped toward him. "Or I'll snap her neck." To emphasize the threat, his arm tightened painfully around Echo's throat. The medic twisted and thrashed, struggling, as Ratchet shouted at him. "Let her go, Decepticon coward!"

"Shut up!" the impostor growled, increasing the pressure on Echo's neck. She yelped in pain and slammed her heel down, trying to step on his pede, but only succeeded in hitting the ground.

The computer beeped repeatedly, signaling the end of the defrag, and the impostor nodded in satisfaction. "About time. You, doc bot! Open the bridge!"

"Dad, no!" Echo screamed, shuttering her optics and bracing herself. "Don't do it!"

Ratchet closed his optics with a groan. "Echo…" Slowly, he pressed the activation lever on the console, and the groundbridge powered up.

"No!" Echo struggled frantically as the impostor dragged her toward the bridge.

Suddenly, her captor's body jolted hard against her back, and the restraining arms released her. She kicked backward hard, and was rewarded by a grunt of pain as she jerked free of the rough grip. Before she could run, a servo grabbed her wrist, pulling her upright. She came face-to-face with an all-too-familiar 'bot.

"Decepticon scum!" she screamed, clawing at his faceplate with her free hand. "Let me go NOW!"

"Whoa, easy there," the mech half-laughed, easily catching her other wrist and stopping her attack. "We're on the same side." He released her wrists, allowing her to turn and see an identical mech, flat on the floor.

Echo darted to her father's side, clinging to his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. Wheeljack – or one of them at least – turned to Ratchet. "I'd shut the bridge sooner rather than later…"

Ratchet slammed the lever down, deactivating the bridge instantly. Bulkhead started toward the impostor, but Wheeljack shook his head. "Ugly's mine."

"Wreckers," the senior medic muttered as blades crashed. "Echo, are you hurt?"

"No," the femme gasped, resting her forehead against his shoulder. "I'm okay."

A larger-than-before crash signaled the end of the fight, and Echo turned to see that one of the two Wheeljacks – hopefully the impostor – had landed on the floor again, stunned. Bulkhead grinned. "That's my Jackie."

"Mind hitting the switch?" Wheeljack gestured to the bridge. "Time to take out the trash. He's all yours, Bulkhead."

Bulkhead, with a huge grin, grabbed the impostor, hurling him into the bridge. Distant yelling and crashing sounded from the other end before Ratchet deactivated it again. Wheeljack nodded approvingly. "Nice lob. So…" He turned to Echo, who had finally let go of Ratchet's arm. "I think you and I started off on the wrong pede, so you wanna start over? I'm Wheeljack. Wrecker and general all-around 'Con-crusher. And you are?"

"Echo," she replied shyly, trying to keep herself from blushing. "Medic in training."

"Echo," Wheeljack repeated thoughtfully. "It's a pleasure."


	18. Chapter 18: Choices and Commitments

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Cybertronian swearing.

**Summary:** A new arrival to Earth caught Echo's attention…

**Pairing(s): **Echo/Wheeljack…sorta.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Over 60 reviews…I can't believe it! *shocked face* I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this story so much! Since Echo does not appear in "Convoy", this is a little thing I wrote for you guys while I get to work on "Deus Ex Machina". Enjoy and please review; it means a lot! **

**Chapter 18: Choices and Commitments**

Echo glanced around the room to make sure no one was around before ejecting both knives from their wrist compartments. She'd watched Wheeljack and Bulkhead training just that morning, and she couldn't help but notice that the white Wrecker's swords were effective at non-lethal disabling as well as killing. Some of his tactics could be useful for a medic who wanted to avoid having to kill again.

Not that she'd been _deliberately_ watching them, of course. Ratchet had needed help with the groundbridge again – the scraplets had really done a job on the wiring – and Bulkhead and Wheeljack had decided to practice in the main room at the same time, since the humans were all at school. Observing them had been completely unavoidable, so Arcee's constant smirks in Echo's direction had been uncalled for!

_Well, alright,_ she thought with a rueful half-smile as she balanced the knives delicately in each servo, careful to touch only the narrow rounded section that latched them into her armor. _Maybe I didn't _have_ to keep looking. But it's not like I was staring. _

Cautiously, she flicked one blade up and out in a circling movement that had successfully defended against Bulkhead's wrecking ball when used by Wheeljack. Echo's first attempt nearly sent it flying across the room, and her second attempt sliced open one fingertip.

"Primus slaggit!" she snapped, slamming the blade point-first into the ledge beside her. Dropping the other beside it, she wrapped her uninjured servo around the wound, attempting to stop the flow of energon. "Fragging thing…" Cursing under her breath, she overrode her self-repair limits in an effort to speed up the process.

"Nice blades."

Echo nearly fell into the computer console, sending energon running down her wrist from the cut. "Primus, Wheeljack! Don't do that!"

Wheeljack pulled the narrow blade free of the concrete. "Sorry. You use these for combat much? They look like a recent add."

"Only once," Echo muttered, normally pale cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she wiped away the trickle of energon and checked the injury again, hoping it wouldn't need a patch. "They're medical equipment." _And I never want to use them to kill again._

"Could've fooled me," Wheeljack shrugged, flipping one around in his hand almost carelessly. "Balanced, but light enough for someone your size…sharp edge, not so sharp they shatter on impact…yeah, they're nice. You obviously know what you're doing when it comes to blade care."

Echo blushed even more at the compliment. "Uh, thanks. It's something you have to learn as a medic...a blade that isn't taken care of isn't a good thing."

"Why's that?" Wheeljack set the knife down and leaned against the wall. "I can think of plenty of reasons you need well-cared-for equipment no matter what you do, but why would a medic need any kind of weaponry?"

Echo bit her lower lip, determining that the wound did not, in fact, call for a patch. "Told you it's not really a weapon. They're used to cut away damaged plating to get right to the source of an injury, usually. Sometimes to remove debris from around a casualty, that sort of thing. And self-defense, of course."

"Defense only?" Wheeljack raised an optic ridge. "Sounds limiting. Don't you ever take the fight to the 'Cons?"

"No," the medic snapped flatly. "Coding. Protection and healing only." She glared over at him. "Don't you have something else to do?"

"Hey, cool it," Wheeljack sighed, raising one hand in surrender. "I didn't mean any offense. Some medics I met back on Cybertron weren't as committed as you."

"How does that work?" Echo frowned and shook her head. "Overriding your coding should be for emergencies. If you ignore it just for a chance to fight, you're not a medic anymore, you're a warrior with medical abilities!"

Wheeljack chuckled at her fury. "Whoa there. Sometimes there are reasons to fight, even for doctors, etcetera. Your dad probably told you that, I hope."

"Of course he did," Echo shot back. "Nothing wrong with being a warrior, just don't call yourself a medic at the same time."

"Frustrating, I guess," Wheeljack shrugged, toying with one of the knives beside him. "You might think differently after they save someone's spark. Not that being a full-time medic is a bad thing – we need more of those if we're ever gonna win this war. Just remember, not everyone thinks like that."

"Hmmph." Echo sighed. "Can I have my knives back, please?"

"Sure." Wheeljack picked both up by the blade and held them out. "You know, I could show you a thing or two with these."

Echo was about to flatly refuse him when she realized this was probably the Wrecker's way of apologizing. "Um…sure. I guess that would be fine."

"Great." Wheeljack straightened up and waited for her to take the blades back. "What were you trying to do when you sliced your finger open?"

_He did notice. _Echo felt a blush rising on her cheeks again. Slag that pale faceplate she'd inherited from Ratchet! "Nothing in particular, just a blocking maneuver I've seen used before."

"This one?" Wheeljack's twin blades were out in a blur, spinning in a much faster version of the block that she had tried earlier.

"Yeah, that's it. How did you know?"

"'Cause it does that to everyone the first time," Wheeljack smirked, gesturing for her to draw her blades. "Keep your fingers back when you spin it, so you won't get cut again, and remember to shift your momentum with the angle of the blade…"

Half an hour later, Ratchet made his way back in from patrol, transforming in the tunnel to walk the rest of the way. When he reached the main room, he was startled to see his daughter and Wheeljack talking, a slight smile on Echo's face. Unseen, Ratchet shook his head – it was good to see his daughter happy, but if Wheeljack so much as _looked _at her wrong…

Then she saw him, and stepped away from the Wrecker to wave. "Hi, Dad!"

"Hey, kid," Ratchet replied, nodding to Wheeljack. "Would you mind giving us a minute?"

"Uh, sure." Echo started toward her room, turning back for a moment to ask, "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just need to talk to Wheeljack." The moment Echo was out of sight, and hopefully audio range, Ratchet turned on the Wrecker. "Listen up, hotshot. I'm going to be straight with you. The only reason I'm not telling you to stay away from her is that she seems happy with you. But I'm going to say this once, and only once: she gets hurt, I rip out your spark. Is that clear?"

"Yes, doc," Wheeljack replied, arching an optic ridge. He gestured to a dent in his chest plating. "I think she's got that _well_ under control. But no worries; you have my word as a Wrecker. She won't get hurt by me."

"See that you keep that word," Ratchet warned, stalking toward the computer console. "I may be a medic, but one of my duties is to protect those who need it. _Especially_ when it's my own daughter. I have two wrist-blades, a drill, and plenty of space in the groundbridge tunnel. Do not trifle with me."

Wheeljack laughed and mock-saluted. "Yes, sir."


	19. Chapter 19: Sunset Over Nevada

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Well, it made me tear up…that could be 'cause it's late where I am, though.

**Summary:** A new arrival to Earth caught Echo's attention…but now he's leaving.

**Pairing(s): **Echo/Wheeljack…sorta.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Holy Primus's boxer shorts! You guys really like this Echo/Jack thing, don't you? Well, here's one more. Next up, "Deus Ex Machina", and I mean it this time. ;) Keep reviewing; it makes me write faster! **

**Chapter 19: Sunset Over Nevada**

Miko's audio-splitting guitar 'music' filled the main room of the base. Echo sighed; the racket was going to break something, she just knew it.

"It's like a recurring nightmare," Ratchet groaned, attempting to weld the broken piece back onto the console. "Lobbing, war stories, and now this noise…"

"I know, Dad, I know." Echo glanced across the room to where Bulkhead and Wheeljack were watching the humans. Wheeljack looked up, caught her gaze, and winked, drawing an intense blush from the femme medic.

Ratchet followed her gaze and shot a glare at Wheeljack, who laughed and turned back to Bulkhead. Echo rolled her optics. "Dad, would you mind at least _pretending_ not to notice?"

"Yes, I would mind very much," the senior medic grumbled, turning back to his work. "You have a job to do, and he's distracting you."

With a sigh, Echo picked up a wrench. "He might not be here that long, you know."

"Whaddya mean, not that long?" Bulkhead laughed and slapped Wheeljack on the back, almost knocking him over. "He's a member of Team Prime now! Just needs an Earth-based alt-mode, and I got a few in mind."

"Um, about that, Bulk." Wheeljack glanced briefly at Echo before turning to Optimus. "Now that my ship's repaired…I'm itchin' to know what else I might find out there."

"You're leaving?" Miko shut down her guitar and stared up at the Wrecker with big eyes. "Why?"

Bulkhead sighed, looking at his friend. "Because…some bots never change."

Optimus nodded. "Wheeljack, know that you always have a haven here."

"Wheeljack…" Echo stepped around her father and looked up at the other bots. "Will you come back?"

"Jackie never stays, but he always comes back," Bulkhead chuckled. "Don't worry, kid."

Wheeljack glanced at Bulkhead with an appreciative nod. "That's right. Hey, Echo; I haven't seen outside this place yet. How 'bout you show me before I leave, so I know what to look for when I come back?"

At Echo's look, Ratchet nodded. "Fine with me, if Optimus agrees. Wheeljack, don't make me repeat myself."

"No, sir." Wheeljack held out a servo to Echo. "Come on, let's roll."

Echo silently led the way to the exit tunnel, the Wrecker just a few steps behind her. Once outside, the medic turned to look at her companion. "Do you have to go?"

Wheeljack sighed. "It's not that simple, Echo. Who knows how many other 'bots there might be out there, just waiting for someone to find them?"

"I know, but…" _How do I explain what I'm feeling when I don't understand it myself?_ "We need you here."

"No, you don't," Wheeljack told her gently. "You've got Bulkhead and Optimus Prime, and your dad…you don't _need _me here. I'm sure I could be helpful, but you guys were getting along just fine before I showed up."

The femme bit her lower lip. "Not really, we weren't. It's a constant fight here."

"Okay, granted. But you don't need me nearly as much as you think. And…" Wheeljack shook his head. "I spent a long time traveling alone, and before that, working black ops. It's gonna take time for me to adjust."

Echo sighed a little. "I understand. You get used to one thing, then you have to work around it. Happens to everyone at some point."

"So you understand why I can't stay for now." Wheeljack nodded, placing one servo on her shoulder. "See that?"

"What?" Echo looked in the direction he was looking, but didn't see much. "It's just the sunset."

"Right." Wheeljack pointed. "But I'm going to take that trajectory and follow it until I find another 'bot's signal. So you can look out there at night, and know that I'm out there somewhere."

"That's…sweet." Echo found herself blinking hard. "I'll remember that."

"And I'll look back at night, and remember the way you looked right now." Wheeljack kept his servo on her shoulder, and the two of them studied the sunset for a long moment before going back inside and entering the groundbridge with the others.

Standing in front of Wheeljack's ship, Bulkhead managed a forced grin. "Guess this is it, huh?"

"Yeah. You know…" Wheeljack shrugged. "There's room for two. Even with a backside like yours, Bulk. Or…" He glanced at the femme. "Echo, you could come. I could use a medic some of the places I end up. Who knows what could happen?"

"Thanks, Wheeljack," Echo said softly. "But…I can't leave yet. My training's not finished."

Bulkhead nodded in agreement. "It sounds like fun, buddy, but my ties are here now. With them." He glanced fondly at Miko. "With her."

Wheeljack nodded. "I understand. Hey, Echo; if anything happens to these two, I'm comin' after you." His grin told her he didn't mean it.

"I'll take care of both of them!" Miko held up her phone. "Say cheese, guys."

Late that night, Echo studied the picture Miko had emailed to her datapad. Wheeljack stood between her and Bulkhead, wearing his trademark smirk. And behind them, the sunset lit the sky above the desert.

"I'll be waiting," the medic said softly, before shutting down the datapad.


	20. Chapter 20: I'm Not Boring

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Mild violence.

**Summary:** An energon signal brings surprising results…

**Pairing(s): **None, sorry EchoJack fans.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: "Deus Ex Machina", part 1. The Precoding Academy is my invention; if you want information about it, message me or ask in a review! **

**Chapter 20: I'm Not Boring **

Echo concealed a smile as she listened to Miko and Bulkhead arguing. The human wasn't particularly interested in school, and didn't care who knew. Bulkhead…well, maybe he wasn't the best one to be talking to her.

"Miko, if you fail high school, you can't go to uni- core- col- oh, what's the word again?"

"College?" Echo suggested, glancing up from her datapad. "It's like the Precoding Academy in Iacon, I think."

"Ugh. You guys sound like my parents." Miko crossed her arms and pouted.

Bulkhead blinked in confusion. "Aren't they…Japanese?"

"They may speak a different language, but you say the same things," Miko grumbled. Echo rolled her optics as Bulkhead tried reasoning with the girl.

"It's because we want the best for you! And that means making sure you go to school, not jail."

Jack leaned over the upper railing, suddenly interested. "Uh-oh, what'd you do?"

Echo frowned, shaking her head. "Not your problem, Jack. Move, before you fall and I have to call your mother."

Muttering under his breath, Jack obeyed. Bulkhead kept trying to talk to Miko. "Look, before the war I was a laborer! Construction! I can build stuff, I can break stuff. That's it."

"I love breaking stuff! I wanna be just like you, Bulk." Echo sighed at Miko's response. _This is going nowhere._

Bulkhead groaned. "Why would you want to be like me when you could be a – a medic like Echo?"

"Echo's _boring,_" Miko complained. "I wanna be like you!"

"HEY!" The medic stood up, glaring down at the small human. "Watch it, kid! I am _not_ boring."

Before Miko could reply, a signal sounded from the computer. Ratchet gestured. "I'm detecting a fresh energon pulse! It's from the nation called Greece. An ancient city…quite historic, I believe."

"Ancient Greece, hmm?" Echo arched an optic ridge at Bulkhead. "Sounds like field trip time for miss 'medics-are-boring'."

"Hey!" It was Miko's turn to take offense, but Echo was already headed for the open groundbridge. Bulkhead transformed and let Miko get in before following.

Echo skidded clear of the green glow, already in robot mode by the time Miko had hopped out of Bulkhead's passenger door.

"So, what are we doing in Greco-ville?"

"_We're_ scouting energon," Echo said dryly, switching on her scanner. "_You're_ doing research for your history report."

"Research?" Miko whined, looking hopefully at Bulkhead. "Can't I help you?"

"No," Bulkhead told her firmly. "Echo gets to pull rank, 'cause she's a medic. So you have to do what she says."

"You guys punked me?" Miko glared at both of them. "Not cool!"

"Poor baby," Echo muttered sarcastically. "Now, let's see…the signal's strong, and coming from over there. Bulkhead?"

The huge Autobot pointed to the crater she had indicated. "That's an excavation site. Humans hit energon veins."

"And they don't even know it…" Echo took a careful step closer to the rim of the excavation. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Do you see that?"

"What? I don't…" Bulkhead's optics settled on the image in the center of the ruins, and his voice trailed off for a second. "That's Cybertronian!"

"If I'm right…" Echo scanned it slowly, trying to catch every detail. "Is that an energon harvester?"

"Why would ancient Greek humans paint an energon harvester?" Bulkhead shook his head. "But I think they did."

"You know what that round thing is?" Miko took a quick picture. "You're smarter than you let on."

"But even dumber than he looks."

All three whirled to see the Decepticon – blue, and almost as big as Bulkhead, Echo noted – making his way toward them.

"Breakdown," Bulkhead growled. Echo took an instinctive step back toward Miko, ready to be the second line of defense should Breakdown get past the bigger Autobot.

Breakdown laughed coldly. "Miss me?"

"Like rust in my undercarriage." Bulkhead raised a fist.

Miko looked from one to the other excitedly. "You know this lunkhead?"

Bulkhead never took his optics off Breakdown. "We have a history."

"And you have a pet." Breakdown ripped one of the heavy stone pillars free of the ground. "Does it play catch?"

Realizing what Breakdown was going to do, Echo dived for Miko, scooping the human up and rolling clear not a second too soon. The pillar smashed into the ground behind them, almost scraping Echo's shoulders, as Breakdown collided with Bulkhead. Both of them crashed into the excavation site, sending rocks and dust flying.

Echo set Miko down quickly, snapping, "Stay here. I mean it!" before jumping down into the excavation and running toward the battle. What exactly she was going to do, she didn't know yet, but no Autobot would stand by and let an ally fight alone. But before Echo could reach them, Breakdown had hurled Bulkhead into the ruins, smashing the image of the energon harvester.

"Oops," Breakdown taunted. "Hope the pretty picture wasn't too important – _ow!_"

The medic, desperate to do _something_, had reverted to her vehicle mode and slammed into the back of Breakdown's legs, knocking his pedes out from under him and sending him sprawling. Echo skidded clear, transforming and ejecting her wrist-blades. Breakdown took a look at her, then at Bulkhead, who was picking himself up, and apparently decided taking on both of them was a bad idea. He transformed and was gone in a moment.

Bulkhead groaned at the sight of the ruined image. "See? I'm good at breaking things."

"No worries," Miko said cheerfully. "Got us a picture of the picture."

Back at base, Optimus studied it carefully. "Yes, it is an energon harvester – a device created by the ancients to remove energon from any source," he added, at the humans' confused looks. "The ancients often used art to conceal messages…this fresco must have been a signpost indicating the location of a harvester, hidden on this planet."

Jack held up a hand. "Wait. If the harvester removes energon from any source…and you all have energon pumping inside you…"

"In Decepticon hands, it would be a devastating weapon." Echo shivered at Optimus's statement, energon lines tingling at the thought.

Miko giggled. "See, Bulkhead? You were a genius to total that painting!"

"Miko's not wrong," Arcee commented. At Echo's incredulous look, she continued, "How can the 'Cons find the harvester without the fresco?"

"Well…" Raf opened his laptop. "If you do an internet search for "Greek god" and "golden orb", this pops up. It's in a museum."

Echo looked carefully at the picture. "Optimus…is that really…"

Optimus nodded slowly. "Contact Agent Fowler."


	21. Chapter 21: Bots At The Museum

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Violence, Cybertronian swearing, and my ridiculous title. ;)

**Summary:** Uh…just read the title, 'k?

**Pairing(s): **None, sorry.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: "Deus Ex Machina", part 2…or 1.5 if you prefer. Keep reviewing please! **

**Chapter 21: Bots At The Museum**

"***beep*** You've reached Special Agent William Fowler. I'm currently on an intensive training retreat and unavailable until Tuesday…"

Ratchet growled irritably and slammed the communicator's "off" button. "I hate talking to machines."

"Now what?" Echo glared at no one in particular.

Optimus sighed slightly. "Without Agent Fowler's direct aid, we will have to confiscate the harvester ourselves."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Jack held up his hands nervously. "Confiscate? As in steal museum property? That sounds….illegal!" Every 'bot turned to stare at him.

"I do not wish to break human law," Optimus frowned. "But once the Decepticons learn of the harvester's location, they will not hesitate to obtain it by any means necessary. We must act covertly."

Echo nearly choked laughing. "Covertly? Us? In a _public_ museum?"

"This isn't really funny," Ratchet growled. "Of course it's not going to be covert. That doesn't mean we're not going to try."

"No problem!" Miko almost knocked Jack over trying to get their attention. "_We're_ small enough to sneak in! And we're not a government secret."

"Ohhhh no," Echo groaned. "Not _this_ again. For the five thousand, three hundred and eighteenth time, **stop asking**! We are not taking you into combat!"

"Actually, they may be our best option."

Echo's mouth fell open. "What. The. **FRAG**!"

Two hours later, the femme was still managing to glare at Miko, even in vehicle mode. The human threw a few nervous glances in the direction of the medic, but for the most part ignored her, studying the controls of the construction lift the trio was standing on. Being ignored didn't help Echo's mood, and her engine growled ominously.

"When do we get out of here?"

"Right now." Optimus's truck form rolled past the sleek green motorcycle. "And please keep the attitude to a minimum."

"Yes, sir," Echo grumbled quietly, following Bumblebee into the groundbridge. _On the condition that you _never_ make me work with that – __**human**__ – again. _

The museum was, thankfully, very quiet. A cautious scan from the front walkway told Echo that the only humans inside were well away from the harvester, and she flicked one headlight in the prearranged signal. A moment later, Optimus's voice sounded across the open comm system.

::Autobots, confirm positions.::

Echo slid into a parking slot on the north side of the building next to Bumblebee and let him send the confirmation, listening to Ratchet's final instructions to the humans.

::Now, since you're bypassing all normal points of entry, you don't need to worry about setting off the alarm. But take care to avoid any security guards.::

"And watch the ceiling," Echo added. "I can see from here it dips somewhat low near your bridge coordinates."

The inside of the room shimmered green for a moment, then went dark again. The construction lift was just visible through the windows.

_Hurry it up already,_ the femme growled in the back of her processor. _How long can it possibly take you to pick up one harvester? What more could go wrong?_

As if the universe was answering her question (with a rude gesture, no doubt), a crash shook the ground in front of the museum. Echo skidded out of her parking space, leaving streaks of black rubber on the pavement as she sped toward Optimus's position. Bumblebee passed her, racing at full speed.

"Echo to base! We have a problem…"

::_We_ have a problem, or _you _have a problem?:: Ratchet's dry vocals made Echo want to laugh, even though she knew it was serious. ::I know you don't like the humans, but unless they're actually _in_ trouble…::

"I don't know about _them_ – " Echo swerved hard, trying to avoid the missile that shattered the concrete, and suddenly found herself skidding on her side with a horrible screeching sound. " – but _we_ definitely are!"

Struggling through a transform, the femme forced herself to stand and look around. The scene was total chaos: Optimus was pinned down by a 'Con Echo had never seen before, a red mech who had the typical frame of a Towers-born but was carrying a heavy energon prod; Bumblebee and Arcee had crashed into each other trying to avoid the missiles; and the window to the museum was smashed. Echo was now the only thing standing between the charging Breakdown and the humans inside.

Then Bulkhead was there, taking the hit that Breakdown had meant for the young medic. He was thrown backward into her, and both of them crashed into the strange Decepticon, all three landing in a sprawled heap.

Echo grunted in pain as the red 'Con slammed his elbow into her chassis, smashing her to the ground again as he lunged toward Optimus. The Autobot leader blocked the attack, shoving his opponent away.

Overhead, a jet engine screamed, and everyone looked up to see Soundwave speeding away.

"Hmm. That would be _game,_" the new 'Con almost literally purred, transforming and speeding away with Breakdown in his wake. Arcee and Bumblebee started to follow, but were stopped by Jack's yell.

"The 'Cons have the harvester! And security has Miko!"

"What? Oh _**slag!**_" Echo slapped the ground hard, leaving a crack in the concrete. "I _knew_ bringing her was a bad idea! Miko, you…you…._**IDIOT!"**_

Before Echo could work herself into enough fury to simply storm the museum and give the kid what-for, Optimus held out a servo. "Enough. No, Bulkhead, you will not go after her. Miko is safe, even though she may be detained."

"But…but…" Bulkhead shook his head fiercely. "I'm her guardian!"

"And if you walk in there, you _will_ blow our cover," Arcee pointed out. "She'll be fine. But if the 'Cons have the harvester, we should get back to base and plan our next move – before they decide to do it for us."


	22. Chapter 22: Harvest Time

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Violence, Cybertronian swearing, and my ridiculous title. ;)

**Summary:** The end of Deus Ex Machina. Finally.

**Pairing(s): **None, sorry.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Oh Primus…*giggles hysterically at sight of 101 reviews* WOW! I'm so glad you guys like this! It's good to be done with this episode…I'm not a huge fan of it. :| Oh well, at least it's TF: Prime, right?**

**Chapter 22: Harvest Time **

At base, Optimus had apparently already formulated a plan, and was handing out orders immediately. "In all likelihood, Starscream will be using the harvester to gather as much energon as possible, from the planet's otherwise unminable deposits. Approach with extreme caution; Starscream will not hesitate to turn the harvester on any one of us."

As Bulkhead started to follow Arcee and Bumblebee through the groundbridge, Optimus shook his head. "Bulkhead, it is best that you remain here with Ratchet and Echo."

"So I can bust Miko out of the museum?"

"So you can help the medics." At Bulkhead's crestfallen look, Optimus added, "You may be Miko's guardian, but she requires human assistance. Agent Fowler remains her best option."

"***beep*** You've reached Special Agent William Fowler. I'm currently on an intensive training retreat and unavailable until Tuesday…"

"Still no answer," Raf sighed.

Bulkhead growled in fury. "Fowler's lounging around some poolside cabana…" Echo's optics widened in alarm as he slammed his fist down on yet another sensitive piece of equipment.

"Bulkhead! I needed that!" Ratchet yelled, as his daughter glared at the bigger Autobot.

Bulkhead wasn't listening. "We can free Miko if we just return the harvester to the museum!"

"What, so the 'Cons can steal it again?" Echo asked icily. "Then what happens to us?"

The former Wrecker clamped both servos against his head. "I am so _dumb!_"

Echo sighed and returned to her work. "But we _can_ help Miko by returning this replica harvester."

"The construction of which would be going a lot _faster_ if Bulkhead hadn't just mangled my frame welder!" Ratchet yelled from across the room.

Jack shrugged. "Well, we're already trespassers and thieves; why not add forgery to the list?"

"Beg pardon?" Echo glanced absently in his direction.

"Never mind."

Bulkhead slumped onto the floor with a groan. "I wish we'd never taken Miko to…" His voice trailed off and his optics widened. "The painting of the harvester wasn't the only thing we found in those ruins!"

Ratchet arched an optic ridge. "Sorry?"

"He's right," Echo realized. "There's energon there too! Starscream's not one to take the hard way if he can help it…no matter what he has, he'll go somewhere he knows he can get energon."

"The ruins," Bulkhead growled. "We gotta stop him."

Echo reached for the groundbridge controls. "So…Bulkhead, you and I go after them."

"Not you," Ratchet snapped. "Not with that harvester in play. I'll go."

Echo started to protest. "But, Dad…"

"No buts," the senior medic said firmly. "You're staying."

The small green femme fidgeted, watching the monitor feed intently. "Dad! How's it going?"

::I've got a visual on Starscream and the harvester,:: Ratchet replied over the comlink. ::Bulkhead, keep KnockOut and Breakdown busy; I'll try to get to it.::

::On it.:: Bulkhead started toward the two Decepticons.

Echo narrowed her optics. "Hang on, how do you know who that other 'Con is?"

::He's one of the 'Con medics,:: Ratchet said shortly. ::In the loosest sense of the term 'medic'.::

"Ah." Echo returned to scanning the area. "I'm picking up a strong energon signal…I think Starscream's using the harvester."

::He is. I'm sending you a visual.:: A moment later, the monitor filled with an image of the Decepticon and the harvester, energon flowing between it and the rocks for a moment before Starscream turned away.

"Primus," Echo breathed. "Imagine that turned on a 'bot…"

::I don't have to,:: Ratchet hissed. The image shifted, and Echo's optics widened in horror at the new target.

"BULKHEAD! Dad, do something!"

The image was moving too much for Echo to see anything, as her father snapped, ::I'm working on it!:: Starscream's voice sounded through the feed. "You're a big one…this could take a while."

"I'm coming to help!" Echo reached for the controls, but before she could open it, Ratchet growled, ::No! Call Optimus for backup.::

"Call Optimus, right…" Echo's fingers flew over the keys. "Base to all Autobots, return immediately!"

::Arcee here. On my way.::

::Optimus. I'll be back as soon as you can bridge me in.::

Echo barely waited for Bumblebee's signal before opening the bridge and turning back to the feed – just in time to see Ratchet's servo clamp down over Starscream's and the harvester.

"What are you doing?" the Seeker screeched. "Get off me, medic!"

"Make me," Ratchet growled, one finger finding the precise joint in the wrist cables. Starscream screeched and released the harvester, sparking with blue light.

Echo's optics shot back to the scan for a second. "DAD! It's going to explode!"

Ratchet hurled the harvester just in time. Blue-white light blinded everyone for a moment as the pressurized orb blew into a million fragments.

A servo landed on Echo's shoulder, and she turned to see Optimus. "Stay here and monitor their condition. We'll be back in a moment."

Barely nodding, the young medic turned to the feeds that indicated each team member's condition. Ratchet was bleeding…Bulkhead didn't even seem conscious…

Biting her lip component, she grabbed her medkit. "Come on, come on…get back here!"

A moment later, the bridge reopened. Echo immediately rushed to Ratchet's side. "Dad! You're hurt!"

"Just a scratch," the senior medic replied briskly. "Haven't taken on a Seeker in a while. Tend to Bulkhead first; I can take care of this."

"Yes, sir." Placing her hand on Bulkhead's shoulder, Echo shook her head. "What am I going to _do_ with you, strap you down until you learn to be more careful?"

Bulkhead half-smiled, optics flickering. "Whatever…just get that replica fixed so we can get Miko back, 'k?"

"Already on it, big guy." Echo carefully attached the energon line as Optimus helped Bulkhead onto the berth. "Already on it."


	23. 23: Experimenting with the Apocalypse

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Angst. More in the next chapter.

**Summary:** An Autobot beacon leads Ratchet, Echo, and Optimus to a dangerous ship…

**Pairing(s): **None, sorry EchoJack fans. I'm working on another episode with them, I promise.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Sorry about the wait, guys...this was a tricky chapter! Since "Showdown" comes between "Speed Metal" and "Predatory", I've decided not to put Echo in either one. Instead, she gets a big huge role in "Sick Mind". Enjoy.**

**Chapter 23: Experimenting With The Apocalypse**

"Echo!" Ratchet yelled across the room. "Would you stop with the research and come help me?"

"Fine," Echo grumbled, putting down her datapad a little harder than necessary. "Come on, Dad, don't tell me you're not interested in symbiote imprinting."

Ratchet gestured toward the computer console pointedly. "I might be, if I hadn't just pinpointed the location of the Decepticon warship."

"You did?" Echo bolted to her father's side as Optimus looked over Ratchet's shoulder. "How'd you get through their cloaking technology?"

"I didn't," Ratchet answered, opening an image on the screen. "I was experimenting with variable frequency wavelengths when I stumbled upon it. Still, the ship must be experiencing some kind of electromagnetic disruption."

"So…" Echo brought up the image on her own screen. "Can they tell we've found them?"

Ratchet shook his head. "I highly doubt it. They may know about the disruption, but I don't know any way they could tell that we've picked up their signal."

Arcee clenched one fist. "With Megatron offline and the element of surprise…"

"We could do some serious damage." Bulkhead settled into a fight stance. "How soon do we leave?"

"Hold on, guys." Echo gestured to a second image that had just popped up. "An emergency beacon, on the same frequency. Nothing that I recognize, but definitely Autobot."

"The Decepticons can wait," Optimus said firmly. "There may be Autobots who need our help. Ratchet, bring your medical kit." He glanced briefly at Echo before apparently making a decision. "Echo, you will also accompany us; we do not know how many might need our help."

_Yes!_ Echo grabbed her own medical kit as Ratchet set the groundbridge coordinates. "It's an older signal, I think. Does that mean it might be a ship?"

"Probably." Ratchet placed a servo on her shoulder. "Stay close and keep your optics open."

The area the beacon had come from was cold and dark. Echo shuddered and ducked under Ratchet's arm. "Why do the beacons never come from somewhere nice? Like, say, the tropics. I hear Florida's lovely."

"Echo, shush." Ratchet pointed. "There's the ship."

Optimus studied the rubble around it. "A crash landing. It must have been buried here for centuries."

Ratchet eased his way down to the side of the ship, rocks clattering against the metal as Optimus and Echo followed. "There's no way we'll find an entrance. I'm going to cut through the wall." The hum of his welder was followed by a clang. "If they traveled in stasis mode, there may be survivors."

The ship lurched slightly as they entered, and Echo grabbed her father's arm for support. "Lights?"

"Good thinking." Optimus switched on his headlights, and the other two did the same, revealing a door at the end of the hall and nothing else. "Ratchet, how long ago would you say the crash was?"

"I don't know." Ratchet pried open a control panel, twisting wires until the door slid open with a rusty groan. "I would say at least four centuries, possibly more…but there's really no way to tell without accessing the computer. We may be able to do that once we find a console."

Echo took a few careful steps into the room beyond. What she saw made her gasp and recoil in horror.

"Echo, what is it?" Ratchet moved quickly to his daughter's side. "By the AllSpark!"

Several mangled bodies were slumped against the walls, purplish energon staining the floor under them. Optimus, making his way past the two medics, studied the bodies with a sigh. "I had hoped we would not find this."

Echo ran a scan from a cautious distance. "Look…they've got damage, but it's postmortem. These Autobots didn't die in the crash."

Ratchet held out an arm to stop Optimus from taking a closer look. "Don't touch anything! They're showing the effects of a virus."

"This is a plague ship." Optimus stepped back slowly, but even that movement was enough to rock the ship. Echo fell to her knees with a yelp as Ratchet's arms wrapped around her shoulders protectively. When the rocking stopped, Echo glanced over her father's shoulder, only to see the swaying figure above them.

"Optimus, look out!"

Optimus glanced up and recoiled, but not fast enough. With a clank, the dead Autobot fell from whatever had held it upright, energon dripping as it landed squarely on top of the Autobot leader.

"No!" Ratchet lunged forward and shoved the body away from Optimus, careful not to touch anything, but it was too late. His optics were already starting to flicker.

"Dad, what's wrong with him?" Echo whispered, offering her shoulder to help support Optimus.

Ratchet just shook his head. "We need to get him back to base stat. I'll run some scans there."

By the time they reached the base, Optimus was barely coherent. The optic that had come in direct contact with the energon was already darkening into an oil-like stain.

Ratchet sighed heavily as he ran the scanner over the Autobot commander's body. "I was afraid of this."

"What is it?" Echo sat down worriedly next to Optimus, now lying on one of the bunks in the medbay.

"Cybonic plague."

The words brought a gasp from every Autobot in the room. Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead exchanged worried glances.

"Why was there a plague on an Autobot ship?" Miko leaned over the railing above, trying to get a better view. For once, she sounded like she might actually be worried instead of excited.

"Its passengers must have been infected. Cybonic plague was engineered during the Decepticons' biowarfare program, by Megatron himself," Ratchet explained. "It wiped out millions on Cybertron."

Echo shook her head sadly. "Autobot and Decepticon alike. They were infected by contact as well, and it was only brought under control in the final years of the war."

"Well…there's a cure, isn't there?" Raf asked, eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Unh…" Everyone looked down to see Optimus struggling to speak. "No…cure…"

"Optimus, please." Echo placed one finger gently over his mouth. "Shh. Save your strength."

Jack gestured frantically – a habit of his, Echo's processor noted. "Would Megatron create a disease with no cure? I mean, you said they brought it under control – wouldn't that require some way to stop it?"

"It's not like we can ask Megatron," Bulkhead muttered grimly. "Never thought I'd want to."

"But," Ratchet pointed out, "we might be able to find it in their database. We still have a fix on their ship's location."

Echo jumped up and started the groundbridge. "Arcee, Bumblebee, let's go. If there's a cure, we'll find it."

"Echo?" When the femme looked back at her father, he said softly, "Hurry."


	24. Chapter 24: Decepticon Technology

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Angst. Also, Echo should be more careful when looking through files on a computer that KnockOut uses. ;)

**Summary:** Echo must use a dangerous procedure to save Optimus…

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Yes, I went there. Normally I wouldn't replace another Autobot with Echo, but it made sense this time. Enjoy and review. **

**Chapter 24: Decepticon Technology **

Echo sprinted down the hall, trying to remember the direction of the medbay – and _not _remember the last time she had been here. "Okay, let's start with the lab." In response to the beeped question, she pointed. "Door's right there, I think."

"Watch it!" Arcee ducked back against the wall as KnockOut stepped out of the lab and made his way down the hall without looking back.

Echo hurried through the door before it closed. "Bumblebee, cover the door. This won't take long, with any luck." Her slender fingers flew over the keys, slicing easily through the firewalls. "Okay, I'm in the network."

_Let's see…not that, not this…WHOA! _"Vector Sigma!" the medic yelped, switching sections rapidly. "_Someone's_ a little creepy."

::What is it? Did you find something?:: Bulkhead's impatient question made the comm link buzz with static.

"No. Just that Decepticons give me the creeps." Echo twitched nervously. "If it's here, I don't see it."

Ratchet paced impatiently next to the bunk. ::Are you certain? Check again. Clearly you missed something!::

"I checked _everything,_ Dad," Echo snapped. "It's not here."

::Did you use a redundant quantum algorithm?::

Echo hissed under her breath. "Don't tell me how to research! You think I don't care about Optimus? _What_, Bumblebee?"

Arcee gestured for her to join them. "Echo, you need to see this…"

::What? What is it?::

"Give me a minute." Echo poked at the keypad until the door slid open. "By the AllSpark!"

"It's Megatron," Arcee growled, taking a cautious step into what must have been the Decepticons' intensive care unit.

Echo could hear the startled chatter from Bulkhead and the humans as Ratchet barked, ::That's not possible!::

"Well, I'm staring straight at him," Echo muttered, never turning her optics away. "The good news is he's not exactly staring back. Looks like Megatron's been on life support for a while. Scans say he's critical."

Arcee's gun powered. "Time to finish this once and for all."

"WAIT!" Echo ran to the life-support monitor. "Not yet!"

"One good reason. Fast."

"He's got brainwave activity. Megatron might be Optimus's only hope for survival!"

Ratchet had apparently figured out the same thing. ::If a cure exists, he may be the only one who knows about it!::

"So his sick mind's still at work," Arcee snapped. "Not like we can get him out of a coma to ask him to help."

"I'm not going to." Echo was already searching compartments for the items she needed. Ratchet finished the explanation. ::We have to enter Megatron's brain. The laboratory should have everything you need for a cortical psychic patch.::

Arcee slammed the gun into the wall. "Are you out of your fragging mind? Have either of you ever _done _this procedure before?"

"Well, no," Echo admitted, grafting one cable into another. "But Dad has researched it, and he can talk me through it. The technology was outlawed back in the war, so I never had to learn it."

"What? Whoa, whoa, whoa." Arcee held up her hands. "Can't we just…haul Megatron through the groundbridge? Buy us some time to figure out another solution?"

::Time is one thing Optimus does not have!:: Ratchet's tone hardened. ::One of you must try this! I will not allow Optimus to pass knowing that Megatron will outlive him.::

"I'd lay down my life for Optimus, Ratchet." Arcee shook her head. "But a mind-body split…"

"I'll do it." Echo squared her shoulders, pressing down the fear and disgust at the thought of combining with Megatron's mind. "I know what I'm looking for."

::You need to make sure the procedure works from the outside.:: Ratchet sounded distinctly nervous, and Echo realized that he hadn't thought _she_ would volunteer.

"Dad…" She gritted her dentas. "I agree that we cannot allow Optimus to die like this. Someone has to try, and I'm the best candidate. Arcee has the ability to monitor my vitals."

At the base, the others exchanged concerned looks before Bulkhead spoke. "But…Echo has the least amount of experience!" Miko shivered, and Raf's eyes widened.

"Are you…sure, Echo?"

"No…" Optimus gritted out. "…keep…team…safe…"

Ratchet shook his head. "Optimus, save your strength. Echo…"

"I have the setup ready." Echo attached the last cable and plugged it into the base of Megatron's neck. "Dad, I'm activating the communications download link. You'll be able to see and hear what I see. Arcee?" She slid into the crawl space and handed the older femme a small scanner. "That's synced with my systems. The diagram will flash red in any area that I take damage. Keep an optic on that. Bumblebee, make sure no one sneaks up on us. I'll be out of contact until you deactivate the patch, which you'll do on Dad's orders. Clear?"

"Yes." Arcee placed a servo on her shoulder. "Hey, kid…play it safe." Bumblebee whistled something similar.

Echo fastened the other end of the cable into the base of her neck. "Thanks, guys. Initiating cortical psychic patch."

Her optics went offline and the world disappeared into a blur of shimmering lights and space.

**Sorry... :D **


	25. Chapter 25: Mind's Optic

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Dream-violence and Echo's swearing.

**Summary:** Echo must use a dangerous procedure to save Optimus…

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: I'm celebrating chapter 25 and apologizing for the last two cliffhangers with a nice long chapter this time. :D Enjoy and don't forget to review! **

**Chapter 25: Mind's Optic**

Echo blinked and rubbed her hands against her arms. _Well, this isn't quite what I expected. I thought it would be less…physical. _She glanced back over her shoulder, then up at the sky. "Is this Kaon? Creepy."

She started down the long bridge, wincing at the spikes on the sides. "No wonder Autobots avoided this place."

::Echo, hurry.:: Ratchet's worried voice came over the comlink. ::I know you're in unknown territory, but you must figure out where information might be filed.::

"Got it." Echo picked up her pace, only to stop when a figure materialized out of the shadows. Red, blue, tall…

"Optimus?"

Ratchet's voice stopped her eager rush forward. ::That is not Optimus, just a figment of Megatron's mind! It can't see or hear you. Focus on your mission.::

A cold laugh from the platform halfway up the wall sent Echo into a defensive crouch, optics flickering with fear as she heard the Decepticon leader speak.

"Optimus Prime. Your Autobot armies are defeated! Bow before your new master!"

"Never, Megatron." He might be a figment of the imagination, but Optimus's voice still held the strength and confidence of his real self. "One shall stand, one shall fall!" His battle blade activated, and Echo ducked behind a rock outcropping as Megatron drew his own blade, leaped down from the platform, and charged. But as the Decepticon struck, Optimus faded and disappeared in a swirl of green smoke.

"Ohhh, Primus," she whispered, shivering. _Can Megatron kill me, while I'm in here?_ A second later, she yelped and scrambled backward as the rock crumbled away to reveal Optimus. Again.

"Your treachery ends here," the image of the Autobot leader rumbled, stepping forward. Megatron's shot caused it to disappear again, revealing Echo crouched on the ground. The Decepticon leader stalked forward with a growl.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" He leaned down to study her. "The symbol of a doctor. I've never seen you, little medic, but you look strangely familiar…"

Spark pounding frantically, Echo stood up straight and met Megatron's optics, trying to get her vocalizer to work. All she could manage was a clicking sound.

Megatron chuckled. "Ahh, now I know. You look like Optimus's pet medic, Ratchet. Family of yours?"

"Get away," Echo managed to rasp. "Leave me alone!"

The Decepticon leader's cruel smirk widened. "Do you know what the punishment for trespassing in my domain is, little one? It's death." Echo cried out and threw one arm up instinctively to protect her face as Megatron's claws swept down.

A second later, they were on the other side of her, having phased directly through her body. "WHAT?" Megatron roared in fury and lashed out at her yet again. She stumbled backward, but his blows continued to simply slide through her without impact.

"What's going on?" Echo yelped, ducking out of Megatron's reach. Ratchet's voice sounded through her internal comm system.

::You're not a part of his dream, so he can't touch you! Play along.::

"Hmm." Megatron circled her slowly. "You are not wearing phase displacement armor. You're not a hologram, because you track my movements. And I do not believe in ghosts. So tell me, youngling, what are you?"

"I'm not a youngling," Echo snapped shakily. "And is it that you can't touch me…or that I can't touch _you_? Maybe it's _you, _not me."

"Don't try to confuse me with questions, _youngling_," Megatron growled dangerously. His red optics blazed as behind Echo, three more figures materialized. She turned to see yet another Optimus, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee.

Snarling with fury, Megatron lashed out with both gun and sword until nothing was left but a green haze. "They are not real…" He spun to glare at Echo. "And you are!"

_Not good._ Echo backed away as the Decepticon started to laugh. "A cortical psychic patch! Clever, little medic. But if this is my subconscious…" Megatron crossed the space between them with one step and growled into her face. "_What are you doing inside my head?_"

"Looking for the cure for cybonic plague!" Echo yelled back without even thinking. _Oh frag! That was the last thing I wanted to say. I'm dead, I'm dead..._

"Ahh, so there is something you want from me!" Megatron chuckled and stepped back. "An answer for an answer; how is it that you are inside my head? I am clearly not one with the AllSpark; _what happened to me?_"

Echo bit her lip. _Play along. _"Remember dark energon?"

Megatron's optics narrowed for a long moment, then widened. "The space bridge explosion! You were not there…ah, but your companions were. So tell me; do I still function?"

::Echo, we are out of time!:: Ratchet's voice gave his daughter the determination to glare at the Decepticon leader, since she knew he couldn't hurt her. "Just one question each! Cybonic plague?"

"Why would you want that?" Megatron gestured with his gun hand. "Someone besides myself is…unwell?"

Echo forced a nod. Megatron guessed the truth only a second later. "Optimus! Ha, such irony; after all these years of battle, the mighty Optimus Prime is felled by a simple virus from the distant past!"

"Enough, Megatron," the femme hissed, temper rising. "Tell me the cure!"

"And what makes you think I would save the life of my oldest enemy?" At the sound of another image of Optimus, Megatron spun and destroyed it.

Echo's processor was racing frantically. "Because that would give you what you want most; to kill him with your own servo!"

"Can you not see?" Megatron laughed and gestured toward the green smoke. "I do slay Optimus at will, whenever I desire!"

"But just an image," Echo pointed out. "You want to do it for real? Let the plague kill him, and you never get the chance."

In the Decepticon laboratory, Arcee noticed Soundwave pointing at the cable leading from Megatron to Echo's offline frame. "Scrap! Echo, c'mon, wake up…"

"After our deep history, to _not_ watch the spark ebb from Optimus's optics with my very own…" Megatron considered for a moment. "You are more clever than I thought, youngling. Very well." He opened his hand to reveal an encrypted formula cube. "This is the chemical for the cure you seek. Not that you'll be able to decrypt it."

_I can't, but I know who can!_ Echo rapidly saved every image she could. "Give it here."

"Not yet," Megatron smirked. "How am I to terminate Optimus if I remain in this state? When I am free, then you will have the cure."

"No!" Echo made a grab for the hologram, but he snatched it out of her reach.

"Guarantee my recovery, medic, or Optimus fades to gunmetal gray. The real Optimus."

Arcee desperately tapped at Echo's faceplate. "Come on, come on…" Above her, Starscream was following the cable toward them.

Ratchet quickly checked the image Echo had sent him. ::Arcee, we have the formula! Disconnect her now! Bumblebee, get ready in case she can't walk through the groundbridge.::

The dream-world of Kaon started to crumble around them, fading again, and Echo realized what was happening. She turned and sprinted back the way she had come as Megatron made the connection.

"You were watching. You tricked me!"

Echo could feel the world fading back into spirals of light and dark as Megatron roared, "NO! TAKE ME WITH YOU! TAKE ME!..."

Her optics powered to reveal a blurred image of the Decepticon laboratory. Before she even had time to reorient herself, Bumblebee had scooped her into his arms and sprinted into the groundbridge, which still seemed to be spinning around her.

The moment they reached the base, Ratchet was taking her from Bumblebee and cradling her like a sparkling. "Here, just lie down. You're stable, but you need rest."

"Optimus…" she rasped, looking over at the other berth.

"The antivirus is working as we speak." Ratchet brushed a hand over her forehead. "In a few hours, he'll be just fine. You did well."

"Ratchet, may I speak with her?"

Ratchet glanced up at Optimus in surprise. "I guess it works fast. Yes, but stay sitting down. And Echo, don't you move."

"Yes, sir." Echo looked at her commander. "Are you…"

"Recovering, as your father said," Optimus reassured her. "I will not take long, but I want to acknowledge what you have done. Entering Megatron's mind was a dangerous procedure, but you acted bravely and fulfilled your mission." His servo covered hers completely. "Thank you, Echo. I am honored to call you a member of Team Prime."

Echo blushed at the applause from the humans. "I only did what anyone else would have. But you are welcome."

"Alright, now," Ratchet said firmly, pushing Optimus back. "Let her rest. A mind-body split is exhausting."

The femme shuttered her optics as the sound around her died away. But just as she was about to slip into recharge, twin red optics gradually registered in the darkness, along with a jagged-toothed smile. Megatron's laughter rasped in her processor.

"I'm out. Or should I say…in?"


	26. Chapter 26: The Nightmare Begins

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Echo's swearing and the creep-out factor of what Megatron is doing.

**Summary:** Having Megatron in your mind is definitely a nightmare…except Echo is awake.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: To answer a question from the last chapter: Echo has always been a member of Team Prime, but she's the youngest and therefore the newest. Optimus was basically telling her that he's proud to fight beside her. **

**Chapter 26: The Nightmare Begins**

"Follow the light…good." Ratchet lowered the scanner from Optimus and allowed him to stand up. "I wouldn't advise anything strenuous, Optimus, but it appears your systems have fully recovered from the cybonic plague."

"Thanks to your medical expertise, old friend." Optimus looked across the room at Echo, sitting on the edge of her berth. "And your daughter's courage."

Echo shrugged. "None of it could have happened without the others. It was a team effort."

"Lucky for us Megatron was still alive," Arcee pointed out. At the incredulous look from Bumblebee, she laughed. "Yeah, I actually said that."

Bumblebee whistled and beeped, pointing out that Arcee had done her best to solve _that_ problem.

"What matters is that Optimus is on the mend and none of us were harmed," Ratchet said firmly.

Those red optics that had haunted Echo ever since she had fallen into recharge the night before flickered into existence again. "_So he thinks. It is only a matter of time before they realize what is wrong with you, little medic."_

_Shut up. _Echo turned away from the others abruptly. _Get out of my head!_

"_Oh, I can't do that. Not yet." _Images of Megatron's body, still hooked up to life-support, flashed in front of her optics. _"I must reclaim my body. And you are going to help me."_

"No!"

Everyone turned to stare. Arcee raised one optic ridge. "Uh, Echo…are you okay? I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

"Um, right." Echo avoided her father's stare. "Sorry. I think I'm a little out of it. I'm going to go study for a while."

"Alright." Ratchet didn't sound convinced. "Keep your comm unit on."

_Right. Study. _Echo shut and locked her door before slumping onto her berth. The destruction of the space bridge flashed through her mind again and again. _STOP IT! Leave me alone! _

Megatron's purr rasped in her audios, even though it wasn't out loud. _"If I am to return to my body, I must first restore it to functionality. Tell me how I survived."_

_I don't know! _Echo slammed a datapad across the room. _Slag, I don't care! Just get away from me._

Oblivious to her mental yelling, a visual of glowing purple followed by Starscream's smirk filled her vision. Megatron laughed. _"Of course! Dark Energon." _His tone darkened. _"Starscream…"_

The young femme tried to recoil from the hate radiating from those red optics, but couldn't. Furious and terrified, she sank back against the wall and allowed a single tear to slide down from one optic. _Please. Someone help me. _

"Echo? Are you in there?" Bulkhead banged on the door. "Come on, we're going on patrol! Don't you want to come?"

Echo forced herself to sit up. Would anyone even believe her? "Not now, Bulkhead," she called, trying not to let her voice shake. "I'm…busy."

"Okay. Later."

"_Excellent, youngling," _Megatron murmured. _"Keep them away. You and I have a job to do, and it will be done even if I have to take full control of your body." _

Twenty minutes later, Echo found herself stumbling into the main room. No matter how hard she fought, Megatron was able to control her body, forcing her to obey him.

Desperately, she gripped one of the diagnostic tools, screaming as loudly as she could mentally. _LET ME GO, FRAG YOU! LET ME GO! _

Megatron's presence retreated, and her fingers clamped down, crushing the scanner into a useless wreck. _And _stay _out!_

"Echo!"

She jumped and almost knocked over the table as she spun to see Ratchet. He frowned. "I needed that! What's gotten into you?"

Echo couldn't control herself. A sob tore from deep in her throat. "Megatron."

"What?" Ratchet hurried forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Shh, it's alright. What does Megatron have to do with this?"

"I'm seeing him," she whimpered. "Like a dream. But I'm not sleeping. He can control me…Dad, please do something, I don't want him in my head…"

Ratchet stroked the back of her helm soothingly. "Of course you don't. I'm sorry I didn't consider this; being inside his mind must have affected your processor. I'll put you into a deliberate shutdown. That should make your processor rest."

"It's not like that!" Echo sobbed. "I'm not imagining things! The last thing I saw…he was trying to come with me when I left his mind! 'Take me with you'…"

"Shh." Ratchet continued to hold her close and rub her back. "I understand how it feels. I want you to at least try the shutdown, okay?"

The femme choked back her whimper. "You really think it'll work?"

"Yes, I do." Ratchet guided her over to the berth. "Now rest. I won't leave you."


	27. Chapter 27: Dark Echoes

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Creepiness. Lots of it.

**Summary:** Having Megatron in your mind is definitely a nightmare…except Echo is awake.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: This got darker than I planned. A lot darker. Megatron is seriously creepy here. I actually scared myself a little bit. Not sure why it's so sinister, but it is. Just so everybody knows. **

**Chapter 27: Dark Echoes**

Ratchet took a quick look to make sure his daughter was still sleeping. Yes, she was, curled up on her side like a sparkling, just as she had been ever since before the others left for the Arctic.

"Bumblebee, I'm going to run to the supply vault. Keep an optic on Echo. I don't want her coming out of stasis." He glared at Raf, who was seated on Bumblebee's shoulder. "And _you…_"

"I know," Raf sighed. "Don't touch anything."

With a stern nod, the senior medic left. Bumblebee whistled and gestured to the nearest TV.

"Sure." Raf slid down and collected a few game controllers. "Which one do you want to play?"

Absorbed in setting the game up, neither one saw Echo's optics beginning to glow purple…

She was losing the mental fight, and she knew it. Megatron's voice filled her mind, forcing her to listen.

"_Such a little thing, for a medic like yourself,"_ he purred. _"After all, your coding directs you to heal, does it not?"_

Echo's jaw tightened even in shutdown. _I am also directed to protect. I will never help you._

"_That's what you think, little Echo,"_ that voice rasped, laughing. _"That's what you _wish_." _

The sound of footsteps alerted Bumblebee to what was going on, and he beeped in alarm at the sight of Echo, optics flaring an intense purple as she switched on the groundbridge. Raf dropped his controller.

"Echo, where are you going?"

The femme's optics flashed _almost_ blue for a second as she looked at him, but the purple returned as she turned away. Far slower than usual, she entered the green glow of the bridge.

"Echo!" Ratchet entered the room just in time to see her disappear. He turned to glare at Bumblebee and Raf. "What did you do?"

Raf shook his head as Bumblebee beeped rapidly. "Nothing! She just got up!"

Ratchet looked from the groundbridge to the human and back again. "She was in shutdown! What is she doing?"

Echo stumbled across the ragged ground, mist swirling around her. Every part of her was desperate to scream, but with Megatron controlling her entire body, the only outward sign of her mental turmoil was the tears that spilled down her face every few seconds.

_Help, please…somebody help me!_

Megatron's laughter sent chills down her backstrut. _"No one can hear you, medic…except for me. Do as I ask, and this could all end."_

_NO! _Pain shot through Echo's knees as she slammed to the ground despite her best efforts. _I'll never restore your body!_

"_Pity._" Megatron forced her hand forward, reaching into the gash in the rocks and pulling the dark energon free. _"I'll just have to use yours then." _

Echo struggled, but found herself back on her pedes stumbling toward the groundbridge anyway. Small trails of energon ran down her lower legs from the cuts in her knees where she had hit the ground. _STOP! Please!_

"_All you have to do is cooperate…" _Megatron taunted as she entered the bridge. _"Return me to my body, and you will be free again. Being trapped in your own head is not a pleasant situation, is it?"_

Ratchet turned away from the control console as the bridge activated again. "Echo, what are you doing?" He grabbed her wrist, exposing the shard in her hand. "Dark energon?"

Her hand swung back, and she screamed mentally as she realized what Megatron was about to do. _NO! Please don't hurt him!_ Her pleas did no good; a second later Ratchet was sprawled against the computer table, optics flickering.

_Dad! _Echo's head jerked back painfully as she fought Megatron's control. _Stop it! Don't make me do this! I'll bridge you where you want, just don't hurt them!_

"_Now that's more cooperative of you." _Megatron's laughter was audible. _"I suggest you tell the scout to move."_

Suddenly, her vocalizer was back under her control. "Bumblebee, move," she rasped desperately. "Please. I don't want to hurt you…and he'll make me. Move."

Bumblebee whistled sadly as he backed away. She could dimly hear Raf calling to her, pleading with her – "You're still in there! You have to fight whatever's making you do this!" – as she activated the bridge with the coordinates Megatron whispered to her.

"_Yes, go on,_" Megatron purred. _"Let's go."_

_No…_

"_Yes." _A second later, her body was no longer her own, and she was stumbling into the bridge and toward the Decepticon ship.


	28. Chapter 28: You Will Not Use Me

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Strong violence including self-injury. Creepiness.

**Summary:** Echo has more determination than Megatron planned on.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Whee! The end of the creepiness! By the way, I'm putting a stronger warning on this chapter than most because the violence here is of a rather…um…sensitive kind. Specifics (beyond the warnings above) would be spoilers, but I want people to be aware of it. **

**Chapter 28: You Will Not Use Me**

Echo continued to struggle, silent sobs tearing from her throat as the Vehicon's lifeless frame dropped from her servos. _NO! Please stop this! Please!_

The only response was Megatron's laughter. Energon trickled from Echo's fingertips as Megatron forced her into the lab where his body was kept. _No…no….no…_

Some part of her mind – the part that was still thinking rationally – told her that she was going into shock, probably from the killing, and that the repeated word was only a desperate way to keep herself sane, but did it matter? Even if her processor shut down…

"_That's right,"_ Megatron hissed. _"I will still do what I like, whether you are conscious for it or not. Now, the cortical psychic patch. I know you have the knowledge."_

Numbly, trying not to look at her own fingers, she spliced the cables back together. Her servos were trembling violently. _I won't let you use me to kill someone else again. I will not. _It wasn't a protest, just a cold statement of fact.

"_Good luck with that,"_ the Decepticon mind taunted.

Without even the energy to tell him to frag off, Echo fiddled with the end of the cable. Unfortunately, before she could find a way to sabotage it, Megatron had taken control of her hands again. _"Oh no you don't. I know you'd just love to kill me, but not this time."_

Echo blinked away more tears as the cable locked into the back of her neck. _No…no…_

"Echo, stop!"

She – or Megatron – spun to see Ratchet and Bumblebee standing in the doorway. Ratchet stepped forward, shoulders squared and optics narrowed. "Megatron, let her go!"

Horror shot through the young femme as she heard Megatron's voice coming out of _her own vocalizer_. "Well, if it isn't Daddy come to protect his little girl."

Ratchet and Bumblebee moved forward on opposite sides of the room. What they hoped to do, Echo wasn't sure, but she knew it couldn't possibly end well…

Her servo snapped out before she had time to fight, and Bumblebee dropped to the ground, uninjured but paralyzed. _No!_ Ratchet moved forward, reached for her, and she saw her servo swing up toward his spark chamber, just the way it had with the Vehicons…

"_**NO!" **_Her own scream tore from her throat as she wrenched her servos just a few feet to the right, locked her fingers…and allowed the force Megatron was putting behind the attack to drive her fingers straight into the medical berth, crushing every one of them even as her left pede kicked Ratchet away.

Inside her head, Megatron shrieked in fury and pain. _"Unbelievable!"_ She crumpled to her knees, staring at the energon streaming from her mangled fingers with an odd detachment. It was as though they didn't even belong to her any more. A slow triumph rose in her processor. _Take… that, Megatron,_ she muttered weakly, feeling everything start to shut down._ I told you I would not kill again…_

Pain stabbed her mind, and she gasped, head jerking back awkwardly as she realized Megatron was still determined to force her to revive his body, even at a risk to her own. One mangled servo closed around the dark energon, and before Ratchet could reach them, it was stabbed deep into Megatron's spark chamber.

Suddenly the crushing sense of mind-control was gone, and the world spun and went black as she felt herself hit the floor.

Ratchet saw his daughter fall as Megatron's optics lit up. Lunging forward, he shoved the still semi-conscious Decepticon out of the way and scooped her into his arms. "Echo! Echo, wake up, little one…"

Megatron stood up, pedes crunching on the metal floor as his optics surveyed the room coldly. The door at the end of the lab slid open, revealing a Vehicon patrol. A smirk crossed his face. "Decepticons, your rightful lord and master has returned."

Ratchet started to edge backward, holding his daughter's unconscious form close. "Bumblebee!"

As the scout reached his side, Megatron turned to point in their direction. "Finish these pests. I have my own _extermination_ to attend to." Guns powered, and without needing to discuss it, Ratchet and Bumblebee turned and ran for the entrance. Bumblebee returned a few quick shots, but both of them knew that the two of them stood no chance in a pitched battle.

The shuddering explosion was enough to jolt Echo back to partial consciousness. "…Dad…"

"Easy," Ratchet murmured, one hand tracing the broken outline of her right servo. "It's alright. We're outside the ship and I don't think the Decepticons will bother to chase us."

Bumblebee's concerned whistle came from somewhere outside her blurred field of vision, and a second later the yellow scout was leaning over her. She tried to force a smile. "Hi, Bee…"

He beeped in sympathy and brushed a line of dried energon off her cheek. Ratchet nodded. "I think you'll be alright, Echo. Your processor will probably hurt for a while, but a basic scan didn't pick up anything. Do you remember what happened?"

She tried to think. It hurt. "…Most of it. Oh, Primus…" _My servos. How much damage did I do?_

As usual, Ratchet could pick up on what she was thinking from her expression. "Your servos are repairable. Don't worry. Just rest."

A half-hysterical laugh tore from her vocalizer. _I'm definitely in shock._ "How do I rest…when we're somewhere on the other side of the world?"

Ratchet's comlink activated with Optimus's signal. ::Ratchet, we need a bridge.::

The medic held his daughter a bit closer and walked around the ice outcropping so that they were in hearing range of the other three. "You are not the only ones."

"Slag, what happened?" Arcee's optics widened at the sight of Echo.

Bumblebee whistled, telling her it was a long story. Optimus stood up with a sigh. "Is there _anyone_ at base?"

"Raf should still be there." Ratchet gestured toward the original place the Autobots had groundbridged to. "I told him to activate the bridge. All we have to do is walk over there."

Optimus nodded. "Ratchet, why don't you let me carry Echo? Even from here I can see you're injured."

Echo winced and buried her face in her father's shoulder. _My fault…_

Ratchet shook his head firmly. "No, I need to hold her for now."

"Alright." Optimus started back toward the bridge, the others following. Ratchet waited a second longer before gently stroking his daughter's cheek. "Echo, it was not your fault, do you hear me? Don't blame yourself for what Megatron did."

"But…" She tried, and failed, to stifle a whimper. "I killed…I hurt you…"

"No." Ratchet tightened his embrace. "No. Megatron did that. I know you did everything you could to stop him." His optics flickered to her mangled fingers. "You did more than most of us would have even thought of. So no more about it being your fault."

Echo forced a nod. Her father's hand stroked her face one more time before he adjusted his hold on her. "Let's get you home and taken care of."


	29. Chapter 29: Running A Day Care

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **None.

**Summary:** Miko is in trouble...or she's going to be.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: The opening part of "Shadowzone"! Sorry it's short; I promise to post the next chapter quickly. **

**Chapter 29: Running A Day Care**

"I had hoped my growing expertise on the subject would remain purely academic," Ratchet grumbled, staring at the screen. "But though faint, this is clearly a dark energon signal, and it's moving fast."

"Megatron," Optimus growled, extending a hand to help Echo off her berth so she could join them at the console.

Arcee studied the red signal for a moment. "Where'd he find more of the stuff?"

"And what's he going to do with it, recruit a new army of the dead?" Bulkhead muttered. Miko dropped her homework.

"Zombiecons?"

"We cannot rule out the possibility." Optimus turned to Ratchet. "Opinion?"

The medic shrugged. "It would certainly seem so. Particularly since he is headed toward the site of Skyquake's death."

"Megatron has barely emerged from stasis and it seems he's already making up for lost time." Optimus turned toward the groundbridge. "Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Ratchet, prepare to roll out."

"Me?" Ratchet turned away from his computer console.

Optimus nodded. "If we are dealing with dark energon, I may require your abilities. Arcee – "

"Groundbridge operator. Got it." The blue femme took the controls.

"And Echo, you're in charge of watching the children."

Her optics widened in horror. "What? _Babysitting?_"

"Yes." Optimus frowned. "Is that a problem?"

Echo sighed and dropped onto her berth. "I'm dizzy."

"You're fine," Ratchet announced. "Relax. It won't be for long."

The femme groaned and looked up at the humans, who were doing their homework. Miko waved cheerfully. "Bring the hurt, Bulk'!"

"Hmm." Echo leaned back and kept an eye on the girl. _Not like her to not beg to go. Miko, what are you up to? _

A moment after the Autobot team disappeared into the groundbridge, Miko jumped out of her chair and bolted for the entrance, with Jack and Raf right behind her.

"Ohh no you don't!" Echo slid off her berth, but stumbled and landed on her knees. "Ow! Arcee, shut down the bridge!"

Arcee hurried to help the younger femme up. "Echo, what's wrong?"

She gestured. "The kids…"

"Oh scrap!" Arcee looked just in time to see the bridge closing. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Echo pulled herself upright and waved Arcee off impatiently. "Call Optimus, let him know what happened. I'll go get the kids."

"I'll get them," Arcee argued. "You're still not in good shape. Optimus, the kids followed you."

::We have a visual. Send the bridge.::

Echo glared at the world in general. "I was in charge of them, so I'll bring them back. Just get me there."

"Echo…"

"DON'T argue with me!" Echo snapped, stalking into the bridge. _Miko, I swear I'm going to step on you next time you try this. _

The bridge opened on the far end to reveal Jack and Raf practically dragging the girl toward the bridge. Just as Miko pulled free, Echo grabbed her none-too-gently. "Get back here, kid! Now!"

The bridge started pulsing and shaking frantically. Instinctively, Echo pulled all three humans under her body as the bridge gave way and a whirl of electricity surrounded them.

Pulses shot through Echo's mind, pulling her into a world of shadows and whispers.

"_This is the dark side of the path we chose," Ratchet's voice murmured._

_Arcee's cry sent pain through her spark. "Cliffjumper!"_

"_I killed. I killed." Her own voice._

_Megatron's purr terrified her. "I will do what I want, whether you are conscious or not…" _

Echo's optics snapped open, revealing dust and the same rocks she had seen as the bridge collapsed. "Everybody okay?"

"I think so." Jack picked himself up. "Are you alright?"

"'M fine." Echo struggled into a sitting position. "What happened? Where are the others?"

"Right there!" Miko yelled, making Echo wince. "Bulkhead! Hey, I'm right – eeek!"

Echo caught the girl in one servo, hardly able to believe what she had just seen. "He went right through you…"

"We're not real!" Raf looked around frantically. "I don't want to be a ghost!"

"Okay, okay, calm down." Echo shifted into a kneeling position. "It's going to be fine. We can still touch each other, so we're real."

"But…but…" Miko clutched at Echo's fingers. "Where are we?"


	30. Chapter 30: The Shadows

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Violence and Echo's potty mouth. Also my very lame title.

**Summary:** Shadowzones are bad and should be avoided, especially if they contain zombies.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: So much for 'I'll post quickly', huh? Thanks for being so patient, guys. I typed up the first half of it, then my PC crashed and I lost it. At least this is a nice long one for you this time. Review it and let me know if it's good. **

**Chapter 30: The Shadows **

Echo struggled to her feet. "Another place…but the same place…"

"Maybe we're in a different dimension," Raf offered. "An alternate reality, like a shadowzone."

"Nerd alert," Miko muttered.

Echo glared at her. "No, he's right. The groundbridge overload could have triggered something like that."

Optimus's voice floated toward them. "Look, Skyquake's tomb is empty."

"So Starscream got what he came for," Bulkhead growled.

"Another matter for another time." Ratchet opened a comm line. "Echo, bridge us back to base."

Arcee sounded concerned. ::Ratchet…didn't Echo make it to your side? She was coming to take the kids back.::

Ratchet's expression said it all. Bumblebee whistled in concern, and Echo's jaw tightened. "Dad, I'm right here…slag, he can't hear me…"

Heavy footsteps caught her attention as the team started toward the groundbridge. "Miko, Jack, Raf! Come here!" Scooping the children into her arms, she crouched back against the wall as Skyquake stomped past, growling.

"Zombie!" Miko shrieked, trying to pull away from Echo. "Bulkhead, look out! He's right behind you!"

Echo gritted her dentas. _There has to be something I can do!_

Skyquake's arm swept back…then down…and passed right through Bulkhead's shoulder, unnoticed. Miko cheered. "He can't touch them either!"

The undead Decepticon's head swiveled to face them, and Echo winced. "I suggest we move."

"If he can't touch them….and neither can we…"

"We're stuck in the shadowzone with him." Echo set the children down carefully and stepped in front of them. "Get out of here. I've got this."

Miko's eyes widened as Skyquake stomped toward them, growling. "I think we're about to become ghosts…"

"No we're not!" Echo snapped, optics locked on Skyquake's purple ones. "When I say run, you run. Got it?"

All three nodded, taking slow steps back as Skyquake raised one arm with a roar.

"RUN!" Echo dived forward and kicked the Decepticon's legs out from under him as the three children bolted in the other direction. Skyquake stumbled and fell to his knees, twisting around to growl at her. The medic spun and smashed her fist into his jaw, knocking him over backward, then jumped over him, transformed, and raced after the humans.

Miko poked her head around the side of a rock. "There's gotta be something we can do! Echo, don't you have a gun or something?"

"No," Echo snapped, pushing the girl back into the relative safety of the rocks. "I don't have any range weapons. And I don't have much energy left." Her right fingers twitched involuntarily, and she clamped them into a fist. _Now is no time to give up. _"Keep moving. We can't run or hide forever, but…"

"Maybe we could set a trap!" Jack offered. "Try to crush it?"

"With what?" Raf snapped. "Nothing around here is solid except us and the ground!"

Miko skidded to a halt. "Uh-oh…"

The rock face rose in front of them, effectively blocking any further running. Echo gritted her dentas and gestured toward the one sheltered corner. "Get over there. I'll cover you."

A familiar, irritating, tune reached her audios. "Jack, is that your _phone?_"

"Phone?" Jack grabbed it and frantically hit several buttons. "Hello? Anyone? Hello! Hello!?"

"Figures," Echo snapped. "They can't see us, they can't hear us."

"But maybe…they could _read_ us?" Raf's eyes widened behind his glasses. "You could text them!"

Skyquake stomped around the corner and roared, dull optics fixed on the medic. Echo gulped and ejected her left wrist-blade – the right still wasn't functional. "Jack, can you type and run?"

The undead Decepticon growled. _Too close. I'll never make it. Unless…_ "Listen up, you three. Just run past him. I'll keep him busy until you're clear."

Miko tapped the back of Echo's leg. "Um, how are you going to – "

"GO!" Echo swept her one weapon up so that it blocked her spark chamber. Skyquake lunged, claws raking toward her unprotected right side as she slashed toward his chestplates. Dark energon and her own energon mingled as she collapsed backward with a cry, pressing her left hand against the gash in her right hip. Skyquake's right servo crashed to the ground as he stumbled and fell, roaring in fury. Desperately, Echo pushed herself upright and staggered past him, half-running after the humans.

"Echo!" A touch on her leg startled her, and she glanced down to see a blurred image of Miko. "You're hurt!"

"I'll be fine," Echo rasped. For a moment she debated picking up the girl, who had obviously stayed behind for her, but another involuntary spasm from her fingers negated that idea. "Get moving. Where are the boys?"

"Right over there. Wait till you see – " Miko looked over her shoulder and yelped. "Look out!"

Instinct took over just a moment too slow, and the disembodied servo scraped against Echo's shoulder as she ducked. "Slag…"

"How can a zombie hand be faster than the actual zombie?" Miko squeaked, ducking behind Echo. "Do something!"

Skyquake's roar from behind them indicated he was up and angry. Echo spun to see him, then whipped back when she heard Raf yelling. Skyquake's arm was scuttling toward both boys, who had taken shelter behind a piece of debris.

_That won't stop it. _Echo's optics narrowed, and for a moment the pain from her injuries blocked out entirely. "_Not._" STOMP."_On._" CRUNCH."_My." _THUD."_Watch!" _What was left of the disembodied arm crumbled into shreds of metal as her pede came down one final time.

"Whoa." All three children stared up at the medic, who shrugged awkwardly and winced.

"Not like it's really sentient, is it? What is that thing?"

Raf gestured. "Starscream's arm. It must have gotten pulled through the bridge with us! Do you think we can use it?"

Echo's jaw clenched determinedly. "I can, and _will_. Did your text get through?"

"I don't know, but I really hope so..." Jack held up the phone. "Can they really get us back?"

"You're talking about my dad," Echo said flatly. "_Not_ getting us back is not an option. And so for us, not surviving is not an option." She picked up the arm and tapped the missile. "Bring it on, Skyquake!"

Right on cue, the Decepticon stomped into view, snarling something unintelligible. Echo motioned to the children. "Get back."

"What about you?" Miko obeyed, for once.

"I've only got one shot." Echo fiddled with the wires, attaching it so that one firm jerk would fire the missile. "It has to count. Stay out of my way."

Skyquake loomed over her, remaining arm raised to crush the medic. Her optics narrowed. _Wait for it…_

"Echo! Now!" The humans were shouting frantically, but she ignored them. _He's slow. Wait…_

One more step, and Skyquake was almost close enough to touch. As his arm started to swing down, Echo pulled the trigger, and both of them disappeared into an explosion of energon, dust, and scrap metal.

Miko grabbed at Jack's arm. "Echo…"

"I'm…_aack_…fine," Echo coughed from where she had landed on her back. "Owww….that packs a punch." She tried to roll over and immediately dropped back with a gasp, covering the wound on her hip. "I can't get up. What happened to Skyquake?"

"KaBLOOEY!" Miko waved her hands to illustrate. "You really got him!"

Echo shuttered her optics briefly. "Not that! I know! Did any of the parts come to life?"

"Um…" Raf backed away nervously. "Are you sure you can't get up? Because his _other_ hand…"

The all-too-familiar skittering sound reached her, and Echo let her head drop with a groan. "Yes, I'm sure. Run."

"SKYQUAKE! Your master calls!"

Echo bit back a curse that would probably have made Ratchet blush. "Starscream…from the sound of it, he's not here with us, but that won't last long."

"There's a groundbridge!" Miko pointed, but Echo couldn't possibly see it without twisting her head completely around. "Ours or his?"

"Don't know." Echo extended her free servo, ready to flick Skyquake's detached arm away. "Go through it. Now."

Jack shook his head. "We're not –"

"This is not up for debate!" Echo tossed a small rock in the direction of the skittering sounds, but heard it bounce off the rocks. "At least if it leads to the other side, you can call the 'bots and send them to get me. Move it!"

Starscream's startled yelp indicated that the three had gotten through, but a second later the disembodied servo bounced off the rocks above Echo, dropping toward her spark chamber. She swung her closed fist at it, knocking it back over her head and toward the groundbridge. A second later, just as it closed, Starscream yelled, "THIS ISN'T MINE!"

"Sorry to disappoint," the medic muttered, letting her arm drop back to the ground. "Just don't forget about me, kids, okay?"

Apparently they didn't, as a moment later she heard the groundbridge re-open behind her. Optimus knelt beside her, concern in his optics. "Echo, how badly are you hurt?"

"Not much." Echo smothered a sigh of relief. "A couple nasty cuts, and my gyros are screwed. Nothing Dad can't fix."

The Autobot leader lifted her as easily as if she had been a sparkling. "We'll see."

"How did you DO this to yourself?" Ratchet practically snatched his daughter out of Optimus's hold and settled her onto a medical berth, rapidly scanning the gash on her hip and the dents covering the rest of her. "Is this dark energon?"

"Yes." Echo shuttered her optics and sighed softly as the painkiller took effect. "It's a long story." Ratchet turned to glare at the three children. Miko winced.

"Look, Ratchet, if you're going to blame someone, blame me."

"Excuse me," Echo opened her optics and turned to stare at the girl. "Could you repeat that? Maybe a few dozen times, just to make sure I'm not losing my processor?"

As Miko made a face at the young medic, Optimus shook his head. "Miko, what you endured has been lesson enough. Still, you were very fortunate that Echo was with you. We are thankful that all of you are safe."


	31. Chapter 31: An Enemy In Need

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Echo's Cybertronian swearing.

**Summary:** Operation: Breakdown part one.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Sorry guys. My plot bunny ran away. It's back now, hopefully. It doesn't hurt that I found my DVD again, either. Also: WHEEE! 200 reviews! **

**Chapter 31: An Enemy In Need**

Echo twisted the wires on the comm center, trying to boost the signal. "Hey! Bulkhead, can you hear me? What's going on out there? _Bulkhead_?"

The line buzzed with static briefly. ::…Echo?::

"Who else?" The femme turned away from the link for a moment to sigh with relief before snapping, "And your explanation for not calling in?"

::I'll tell you when I get back. Can I have a groundbridge?::

Ratchet nodded from across the room. "I've got it, Echo. Grab the medkit."

Bulkhead stumbled into the base just as Echo returned. Her optics narrowed. "What happened to _you_? And please don't say 'nothing' or 'zombies'."

"None of the above. Breakdown," the Wrecker grunted, settling onto the exam table.

"Looks like more than a breakdown to me," Ratchet growled.

"No, not _a_ breakdown. Ow!" Bulkhead winced. "Breakdown. The 'Con. He jumped me, and I figured I could take him."

"Stay still," Ratchet ordered.

Miko leaned on the upper railing. "But we should see the other guy, right?"

"Uh, yeah…about that…" Bulkhead frowned.

"You _didn't_ torch him?" Miko groaned.

"I thought you guys did that. When I came to, he was gone."

"Not us," Echo replied from across the room. "None of us have left since before you did. Maybe Agent Fowler?"

"Not me."

Echo jumped and glared at the human. "That's it! One more unannounced arrival, and I'm putting a collar with a little bell on you."

"Very funny," Fowler muttered. "I might have an idea who took your 'Con. Show me where it happened."

"If you say so." Echo flicked several switches to bring up the world map. "This peninsula is where we picked up Bulkhead. Your intel?"

"Says there was MECH activity near there earlier today." Fowler eyed the map suspiciously. "Nothing we could specifically pinpoint."

"Mm." Ratchet frowned. "The only ones who know of our existence. They must have tracked one of you there."

"But what would they want with Breakdown?" Miko asked, hanging precariously on the rail.

Arcee shrugged. "Who cares? They can have him."

"Yeah!" Bulkhead laughed. "Dragged off by humans? I must've softened him up for them."

Echo rolled her optics. Optimus frowned. "Ratchet, reactivate the groundbridge. We will rescue Breakdown."

Both medics spoke in unison. "_What?_"

"Optimus, you can't be serious!" Arcee protested.

"MECH can melt him down for all I care," Bulkhead growled. "Let the 'Cons rescue their own."

"As if they would," Echo pointed out. "Megatron's not going to bother."

Optimus nodded to her before she could protest that she wasn't siding with him. "Echo is correct; if we do not rescue Breakdown, no one will. Sometimes we must rise above ourselves for the greater good."

"Aw, what's that supposed to mean?" Bulkhead slammed one fist into the other. "You think Breakdown's gonna be grateful and join us?"

"While the possibility is unlikely, even the Decepticons possess the potential for change. But by greater good, I was referring to humankind." Optimus shook his head. "MECH presents a clear and present danger. We cannot allow Cybertronian biology to fall into their hands."

Echo groaned. _I hate when he's right._

"Well, I'm not going," Bulkhead announced. "I _won't_ rescue him."

Optimus raised an optic ridge. "I support your choice."

"What?" Miko and Bulkhead both yelped.

"Given your history with Breakdown, your judgment may be clouded, and thus jeopardize the mission. Besides, the Decepticon may be more in need of a medic. Ratchet?"

"Locked and loaded," the senior medic replied. "Echo, keep them out of trouble."

"I'll try." Echo sighed as the bridge closed behind the others.

"Well!" Bulkhead sounded far too cheerful. "Creature double feature?"

Miko didn't look at him. "Sure."

"Great! I'm in!" Agent Fowler turned on the TV. Echo closed her optics and leaned against the wall.

"I'll be in the lab."

As it turned out, there was even less to do in the lab, so after a few minutes, Echo ended up back in the main room, trying to ignore the screams from the movie and the snores from Fowler on the couch. Surprisingly, Miko wasn't watching either, sitting in the corner of the upper platform and refusing to look at Bulkhead.

"Dino-lizard versus five-headed ape," Bulkhead called. "You girls are missing the smackdown."

"No, you are!" Miko snapped. "Which stinks, 'cause Breakdown is _your_ arch-enemy, not Optimus's or MECH's."

Bulkhead shook his head stubbornly. "You have no idea, the things he's done. I am not rescuing him, not now and not ever."

"Duh!" Miko rolled her eyes. "You don't need to romance him, Bulk! Just beat him!"

Echo turned with a frown as she realized where the conversation was going. "Miko…"

The human girl winked. "No rescue, no rematch."

"Ohhh no. No no no no no." Echo planted her servos on her hips and glared at both of them. "Your priorities need _so _much work."

Bulkhead grunted. "C'mon, Echo. I need backup."

"No slagging way!"

Two minutes later, Echo stepped out of the groundbridge into the rain and mud of a Russian peninsula. "_How_ did I let you talk me into this? We should both be at the base!"

"Look." Bulkhead pointed. "Tire tracks, and they're not mine or Breakdown's. MECH." He transformed and skidded off in the direction of the tracks.

Echo sighed as she transformed and almost fell over. "You owe me _so much_ for this one."

The tracks led to a narrow tunnel into the volcano. Echo transformed and grabbed Bulkhead's door before he could enter. "Are you insane? Let's get out of here."

"MECH is probably in there." Bulkhead transformed, freed himself from her servo, and started toward the tunnel. "And that means Breakdown. Are you coming?"

Echo rubbed her forehead. "I _really_ hope Dad is having a good time."


	32. Chapter 32: MECH and Medics

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Echo's Cybertronian swearing, Breakdown's missing optic, and implied human casualties.

**Summary:** Echo is still complaining about the weather.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Better update time for you! Although sadly, my internet has been down for a few days and I don't know when it will be fixed, so updates may be a bit sporadic until then since I can't guarantee I'll always be able to get to the library. I promise, though; I'm working on it! **

**Chapter 32: MECH and Medics**

"Why don't I ever get dragged along on missions to _nice_ places?" Echo grumbled, brushing raindrops off her shoulders. "Like Florida. Or the Caribbean. Or even a nice tropical rain forest. But no, I get a cold, wet, dark tunnel in Russia. Looking for someone I don't even like."

"Shh." Bulkhead glanced around the next turn. "All clear, but there's a blast door. Can you hack it?"

Echo rolled her optics and knelt to scan the human-size keypad. "I can try, but it'll take a long time and I guarantee you MECH will get information out of anything I do in their system. Got any other options?"

"Sure. Back off." Bulkhead waited for her to obey before raising one fist and smashing it into the center of the door.

_**Boom.**_

"Subtle," Echo muttered. "We're going to have a welcoming committee."

_**Boom.**_

"You do know I'm not going to hurt humans, right?"

Bulkhead narrowed one optic in her direction. "Normal humans, right. This is MECH. They're a threat to us and the Decepticons."

"They're still human." Echo shook her head. "Bulkhead, I won't kill them and I can't let you. Nonlethal force only, unless they can somehow threaten our lives."

"I'm pretty sure they can." Bulkhead continued smashing dents into the door. The frame was weakening. "Fine, nonlethal force. Good luck getting Breakdown to listen."

"Leave that to me," Echo snapped. "Just get this over with."

_**Boom. Crash.**_

Just as Echo had feared, a crowd of armed humans lined both sides of the tunnel. The moment the blast door crumpled far enough to show the two Autobots, they opened fire. Tiny metal bullets bounced off Bulkhead's shoulders and rattled against Echo's helmet.

_Do they really think that will do _any _good at all?_ The medic transformed and raced past the humans, leaving Bulkhead to deal with them. She wasn't entirely sure he would be able to avoid killing at least a few, and if she stayed, her coding would force her to at least attempt to stop him. Not exactly what she had in mind, and if she couldn't override it…

"Hey Echo, wait up!" Bulkhead's steps shook the ground as he raced to catch up with the motorcycle. "Wait for me!"

The medic transformed abruptly, pedes scraping against the stone with a painful screech as she skidded to a halt. "What happened?"

Bulkhead took the lead again. "I don't think any of them are dead. Knocked around a little, maybe."

"'Maybe'? Bulkhead…"

"I tried!" the former Wrecker protested. "Really, I did!"

As they rounded the corner, Bulkhead stopped short in surprise. Breakdown was strapped to a ground-level platform, human machinery surrounding him. Echo poked her head around Bulkhead's side and immediately grimaced at the sight of the wound on Breakdown's face – his right optic had been removed with no care for the delicate metal surrounding it, leaving a gaping hole surrounded by crushed shreds of the optic lines.

"What are _you _doing here?" Breakdown rasped, apparently unfazed by the injury or the fact that his view of them was upside down. "Couldn't let MECH finish the job?"

"It's your lucky day," Bulkhead growled back, grabbing one of the restraints and tearing it free.

Echo planted one small servo against the Decepticon's shoulder and shoved him back down as he tried to sit up, closing his chest plates quickly. "Don't you dare move until I have those lines patched and something in your system to dull the receptor cables."

"The receptors are off," Breakdown protested irritably, trying to push her away. Bulkhead stopped him easily.

"I'd do as she says, 'Con."

"Unless you want me to tranquilize you," Echo warned, pulling a few pieces of plating and a welder from her emergency kit. "I can put enough of that into your system to knock down Megatron himself before you can say 'stop it'. Got that?"

"Fine." Breakdown let her seal off the leaking energon lines and weld a patch of flexible metal over it before hauling himself off the platform with a grunt and a confused look at both of the Autobots.

"I know," Bulkhead muttered. "I don't believe it either. Can you walk?" The clatter of heavy human weaponry reached their audios. "Or better yet, run?"

"Why run when you can fight?" Breakdown's hammer spun free of its housing.

Echo glared at him and shoved the hammer out of her face. "Point that thing away from me. And don't even think about it. We're not here for human blood." When he resisted, the femme's optics narrowed dangerously. "You may have taken me down once, but do you really want to bet on your odds right now?"

Breakdown looked from Echo to Bulkhead, back at Echo, muttered, "Autobots," and stomped toward the tunnel, Bulkhead keeping pace with him. Echo followed, grumbling mentally about what she _could_ have been doing instead of trying to intimidate a Decepticon twice her size.

Not that it didn't come with a certain sense of satisfaction, of course.

The end of the tunnel was filled with humans, all firing small guns directly at them. Echo ducked back with an irritated yelp as a bullet made a dent in her cheek. "Hey!"

"Creature double feature, comin' at ya!" Bulkhead and Breakdown smashed their way out easily, Echo cautiously making her way through the wreckage to avoid stepping on humans – only to get the brunt of three car guns, a helicopter, and any number of humans.

"Echo, get back!" Bulkhead shoved her away as Breakdown smashed the helicopter with a (hopefully empty) car. "Get back in the tunnel and call for backup!"

Obediently, the young femme dived under cover. Crouching against the wall, she opened a comm line. "Uh, Dad, Optimus, Bulkhead and I need backup. Rendezvous to our coordinates. Yeah, I know it was stupid…sorry." She closed the line before they could tell her anyway.

Echo poked her head out of the tunnel again just in time to see Starscream and four Vehicons land in front of Bulkhead and Breakdown. Alarmed, she struggled to her pedes and raced toward them, only to hear Starscream shout, "Be done with it already!"

"No!" Echo dived out of Breakdown's way and jabbed a fingertip into the neck plating of a Vehicon that grabbed for her, effectively paralyzing him for a few seconds. As she backed out of his reach, Bulkhead smashed Breakdown's semiconscious frame into the other Decepticons, sending them staggering away.

"Hammer time!" the Wrecker roared, apparently forgetting all about his companion. "Come on, I'll scrap all of you!"

Before Starscream could make a reply, shots from Arcee, Bumblebee, and Optimus clattered against his Vehicons' armor, and the Decepticon thought better of a fight. "Retreat!" The others obeyed immediately, Breakdown shoving Echo out of his way to follow them.

The femme ignored him, instead turning to face Ratchet, who somehow managed to be both irate and concerned at the same time. "Echo, what were you _thinking_? You could have been captured, or killed!"

"I know, Dad," Echo sighed, managing to pull away from his half-hug, half-examination long enough to answer. "I know. I wish I could promise it won't happen again."

"Did you see?" Bulkhead was practically jumping up and down. "I beat Breakdown and bashed 'em all with his hammer! I won the rematch!"

Echo groaned and buried her face against Ratchet's arm again. Arcee shook her head. "I'm sure Miko would be proud."


	33. Chapter 33: Still Life with Lug Nuts

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **None.

**Summary:** Just read the title…

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: I know, I know…it's been a long time. I've been having trouble with this episode (T.M.I); I really didn't want to do it, because it wasn't my favorite, but I needed it to build up to the next one. Also, I was trying to work my favorite quote from this episode in, and couldn't do it. That was disappointing. So I just put it in at the end. **

**Chapter 33: Still Life With Lug Nuts**

Echo winced at the sounds coming from the TV. "Ooh…even without seeing it, I can tell you that _hurt_."

"Would you mind _lowering the volume_?" Ratchet growled, rubbing his forehead.

Unfazed, Bulkhead motioned for them to watch. "Hey Ratch', check out the monster truck rally Miko took me to last week!"

"I compiled some highlights with my cellphone!" Miko added.

Ratchet groaned. "Innocent vehicles battling for the pleasure of human spectators? Blood sport."

"YEAH!" Miko and Bulkhead both replied.

Echo shot a glare over her shoulder at them. "You know, you _could _be helping Optimus with the mission instead of wasting time."

Bulkhead rolled his optics. "Aww, Optimus doesn't need my help to find some ancient educational…thingamabob."

"It's not a _thingamabob_," Echo corrected. "It's a Cybertronian data cylinder." Ratchet pushed a few buttons and switched the TV to an image of the cylinder, drawing groans from Miko and Bulkhead and a sigh of relief from Echo.

"Dozens of these cylinders were created during the Golden Age," Ratchet explained unnecessarily. "Each one containing the sum total of Cybertronian knowledge on any given subject…"

His daughter had learned all of that during her training, so instead of listening, she daydreamed. _I really hope this one is medicine, or science, or something useful. Maybe something that could give us an advantage…_

When the comlink buzzed, she almost jumped out of her chair. Optimus's voice echoed through the room. "Ratchet, Decepticon ambush! The cylinder is at risk. We require backup!"

"Backup's what I'm good at." As Ratchet opened the bridge, Bulkhead raced through it.

Echo smirked. "I have an important mission for you too, Miko."

"Really?" The girl's face fell as Echo handed her a mop. "Aww…"

"Do something useful for once." The green femme marched back to her console and closed the bridge. "Dad, what cylinder do you think it might be?"

"I only wish I could tell." Ratchet showed her the lone image they had tracked. "All the cylinders are identical from the outside. That was done to protect the more sensitive information; any Decepticon would have no way to identify weapon specifications – "

"I know, Dad. I know." Echo shook her head. "This is incredible."

The comm channel buzzed. "Ratchet! Come in!"

"Miko?" Ratchet frowned. "This is an emergency channel! We need to keep it open for – "

"Oh, slag." Echo punched the wall. "Where are you?"

::Duh! I'm with the thingamabob! Can you bridge it out of here?::

Ratchet's optics widened. "The cylinder? I'll reactivate arrival coordinates."

::Dude!:: Miko wailed. ::Can't you open it any closer?::

"Supply coordinates – "

Echo knocked over her chair in the process of getting up. "Don't bother. Miko, stay put. I'm coming to get you and the cylinder. Do you hear me?" She skidded through the bridge just in time to see the cylinder activate. The bright red beam pointed directly between Bulkhead's optics. "NO!"

KnockOut smirked. "You really took one for the team, Bulkhead. _My _team." With that, he grabbed the cylinder and was gone. Echo stared after him, optics flickering in horror.

Bulkhead struggled upright, groaning. "I'm fine, didn't even smart."

Echo shook her head. "Uh-uh. You need to be looked at."

The moment Ratchet had finished the base scans, Bulkhead tried to leave. "I helped lose that thing! I want to help find it!"

"No, you don't. Optimus's orders," Ratchet snapped. "Running a full scan of your neural net would be a better use of your time."

Bulkhead swung off the exam table. "Aw, c'mon, doc bot! There's nothing up there to scan!"

"He seems fine to me," Miko called. Ratchet ignored her.

"Well, if you insist on making yourself useful…" He held out the mop from before. "You can help Miko tidy up."

"Awww!" Miko groaned. "He's mad with power!"

Bulkhead laughed. "That's Ratchet. Null vector squared all right."

Echo turned to stare. "_What?_"

The older 'bot ignored her, studying the mop. "Hey, we got any paint around here?"

Resigning herself to a newly painted main room, Echo sighed and turned back to her work. "Maybe we can find another one."

"Hmm, not likely." Ratchet leaned over the microscope. "This was a ridiculously lucky find."

Miko raced back into the lab, waving to get their attention. "Hey! You guys have _got_ to see what Bulkhead's painting!"

"Yes, I'm sure one hasn't truly lived until they've seen Bulkhead's take on 'Still Life With Lug Nuts'," Ratchet muttered wryly, straightening up to look. Echo followed reluctantly, knowing Miko wouldn't give up until she did.

Bulkhead was muttering in Cybertronian, brushing the mop in rapid strokes across the side of the upper level wall. The pattern didn't look like a picture…in fact, it strongly resembled…

"That's not art," Ratchet realized, optics widening. "This is _science_."

**Promised favorite quote:**

**KnockOut: *grabs for data cylinder* Come to Papa!**

**Bulkhead: *punches out KO* Run to Mommy.**


	34. Chapter 34: Intelligence Quotient

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **I hate it.

**Summary:** Um, it's the rest of T.M.I.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Sorry about the wait, guys! I know it's been a while. Also, I'm going to apologize in advance, because I am not happy with how this turned out, but I can't seem to make it any better. So I'm very sorry that this chapter is not up to my usual standards. Ideas on how to make it better would be much appreciated. I promise that the next few will be better, though, because I can't wait to do 'Stronger, Faster'. **

**Chapter 34: Intelligence Quotient**

Ratchet pointed to the scan of Bulkhead's neural network. "You see this hot spot, right here? That's information. Data. Living energy."

Miko squeaked. "Hold on. It's alive, it's on fire, and it's _in Bulkhead's brain?_"

"Chill, Miko," Bulkhead told her. "The data is only inhabiting a fraction of my brain. Infinitesimal by neural net standards. Wait, how do I know all that?"

"Based on what we witnessed during the skirmish, the data must have been programmed to eject when it sensed unauthorized access," Optimus theorized.

"A security measure." Echo detached the cables from Bulkhead, allowing him to sit up. "The data would have jettisoned, lost to the stars."

Bulkhead chuckled. "Except my fat engine block was in the way."

Arcee frowned and raised one servo in confusion. "Every 'Con there made a grab for it, but the cylinder doesn't go off until Miko touches it?"

"The cylinders predate the Autobot – Decepticon division," Echo explained. "They're from the Golden Age. It wasn't programmed to respond to any Cybertronian as a threat, only alien life."

Bumblebee whistled a question regarding whether Bulkhead's 'art' was genius or gibberish. Ratchet frowned. "I do not wish to falsely rally anyone's hopes, but these equations appear to be the formula for a synthetic energon."

Arcee and Bumblebee shared a fist-bump. "We hit the mother-lode!"

"Miko, do you realize what this means?" Bulkhead turned back to the girl. "Energon is our fuel, ammo, life force…with the natural stuff in short supply on Earth, this could solve a whole lot of problems!"

Optimus nodded. "Such as providing us with the edge we need to turn the tide of this war."

"Or handing us the key to revitalizing Cybertron." Ratchet's optics gleamed.

Echo fought down her excitement – it wouldn't do to get her hopes up too soon – but the thought of going home… _We could bring the Autobots back. I could study at the Academy. Learn things that I can use in peace. _

Two hours later, though, the thought was looking less and less likely.

"This is Bulkhead's neural net as you saw it earlier," Ratchet explained to her and Optimus. "And this scan was recorded just minutes ago. It is as I feared – the data appears to be actively, and aggressively, rewriting Bulkhead's neural net. I had hoped he was purging the data, but he seems to be merely transcribing it as it…"

"Consumes his mind," Optimus finished grimly.

Ratchet nodded sadly. "From all indications, by the time he completes the formula, his own thoughts and memories could be wiped clean."

"But…" Echo shivered. "If we stop him, no synthetic energon."

"You assume we possess a means of stopping him," Ratchet warned. "Unlike Bulkhead, I don't exactly have instant access to the wisdom of the ancients."

Optimus crossed his arms decisively. "I will not allow another of our own to be sacrificed, no matter the cost."

Ratchet wasn't listening. "If the living data was able to transfer itself from the cylinder, perhaps we could somehow coax it back inside."

"How do we do that? The Decepticons have it," Echo pointed out.

Optimus glanced briefly at Bulkhead. "Megatron will bring it to us."

Moments after Optimus left, Miko ran in, wide-eyed. "Ratch'! I think Bulk's losing his mind!" She froze at the look the two medics shared. "You…already know?"

"We didn't want to frighten you, Miko," Echo said gently. "Don't worry. Optimus has a plan."

"Optimus isn't Bulkhead's doctor," Miko whispered. "I just need to know…when Bulkhead's done spitting out that formula, he'll go back to being regular old Bulkhead…right?"

Neither medic could find an answer. Miko's eyes widened a bit in horror before closing tightly against the tears. Echo reached out and placed her servo over the human girl's, completely covering the tiny fingers and most of the railing they were resting on.

Forty-five minutes of intense data collection later, Echo made her way back to the main room. "Miko, do you want to – Miko? _Bulkhead?_"

The room was totally empty.

"Dad!" Echo yelled, running for the groundbridge. "Dad! Miko and Bulkhead are gone!"

Ratchet sprinted out of the lab. "What?"

"They bridged out of here!" Echo frantically entered codes and flipped levers. "To…I have no idea where, just their coordinates."

Her father was already on the comlink. "Optimus, Miko and Bulkhead have abandoned the base. We have their groundbridge coordinates."

::Bridge us back immediately!:: Optimus ordered.

Echo grabbed her medkit. "I'm going." At Ratchet's look, she added, "Well, someone has to watch the kid, right?"

When the bridge opened, Bulkhead was lying completely still, Miko was huddled against his side, and KnockOut and Breakdown loomed over them. While Optimus, Arcee, and Bumblebee raced toward the Decepticons, Echo dropped to her knees beside Bulkhead.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," she muttered, scanning his neural net repeatedly. "Come on, big guy, give me something here…"

Nothing. The only sound was Miko's sobbing.

Ratchet shook his head as the scan appeared onscreen. "The data has been fully expelled…but Bulkhead remains unresponsive."

"Because the energy took his mind with it," Miko sniffled. "Lost to the stars." She started crying again. "It's my fault you'll never know the rest of the formula! And…it's my fault Bulkhead's gone forever!"

"Miko," Optimus told her gently, "Your quick thinking prevented the formula from falling into Decepticon servos."

Arcee nodded. "If anyone would've backed that play, it's Bulkhead."

"Don't give up yet," Echo murmured, looking down at her friend. "It's too early to know anything for sure. Something as simple as a familiar sight, or smell, even a sound, could trigger his awakening."

Miko raised her head, eyes narrowing in determination. "I know what to do."

The guitar chords echoed through the silent base even more than usual as everyone waited. When there was no reaction, Miko's shoulders slumped.

Then the computer beeped an alert as Bulkhead's optics flickered open.

"Bulkhead?" Miko whispered, leaning over the rail to see him better.

"I love that song!" Bulkhead's optics locked onto her face. "Miko?"

The girl's smile was more than enough to make Echo immediately forgive her for the obnoxious music.

Maybe not for the monster truck rallies, though…


	35. Chapter 35: If Only We Could Do More

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **None…yet… :D

**Summary:** Ratchet does steroids.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Short, but I feel much better about this chapter than the last one! This is a tough episode to write, but it's good and I'm really enjoying it. There will be another one up soon, because it's actually partly written. I separated the chapters here because this was the best breaking point, but I only decided that **_**after**_** I tried a different one. Typical me. ;) **

**Chapter 35: If Only We Could Do More**

Ratchet raised his head from the microscope. "Echo, I'm impressed. This is surprisingly stable."

Echo blushed. "You did most of it. I just added a couple of extra components."

"Is that synthetic energon?" Raf, apparently tired of watching Bumblebee train, leaned over the railing in an effort to get a better look.

"Yes, it is." Ratchet removed the container from the microscope and carefully added some to an injector. "And this particular batch is ready for testing. Since you come equipped with protective goggles…"

Raf's eyes widened behind his glasses. "I can watch?"

"No reason why not," Echo replied. "Just stay up there until we know it's working. None of the batches have exploded so far, but it's best to be cautious."

Ratchet adjusted the injector and positioned it. "All we need to do is add some to this engine…"

The engine rumbled to life, accompanied by a delighted – and rare – squeal from Echo. "It works!"

"Cool!" Raf jumped down onto the table to look at the engine, which was purring steadily with no sign of failure. "Hey, Bee!"

"Ah – better not," Ratchet cautioned. "This batch still needs further testing before it can be used for fuel, ammunition, or first aid."

Echo's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly. "Can't we speed it up at all? We need it right now. I've never seen our reserves so low."

"Nor have I." Ratchet sighed. "I suppose, Echo, you can start looking for ways to possibly limit the amount of testing we need to do. Try to find any record of synthetic energon being used in the past. I know our resources are sparse, but do the best you can."

"Sparse doesn't even begin to describe it," Echo muttered, obediently pulling out her datapad. "I'd never seen a single thing about synthetic energon before Bulkhead started writing the formula. I'll do what I can, but don't expect much."

**Beepbeepbeepbeepbeep. **The computer indicated the location of the signal clearly.

"More energon on the move," Bulkhead growled as the rest of the Autobots entered the room.

Arcee groaned. "Again?"

"Their recent activity suggests a familiar pattern." Optimus turned away from the computer. "The Decepticons are desperately searching for new deposits to mine. Autobots – "

"Optimus," Ratchet interrupted quietly. "If one of you comes back wounded…our energon reserves are nearly depleted."

"Understood." Something that might have been sadness flickered across Optimus's face. "Echo, activate the groundbridge."

Echo watched until the other Autobots were completely out of sight, optics dimmed. _Come back safe, please,_ she pleaded silently. _Don't make me watch you die because there was nothing left to treat you with. _

Ratchet's heavy sigh broke into her thoughts. "Sometimes…I wish I could do more."

"That makes two of us," Echo murmured sadly, returning to the datapad and starting her search. "I'm…just going to wait in the lab, okay?" It was easier if she didn't watch the signals on the computer screen that represented the rest of Team Prime.

"Mmhmm," Ratchet responded distractedly. "That's fine."

Five minutes later, a crash rattled the computers, followed by Raf screaming. "Echo! Echo!"

"What? What's wrong?" Echo bolted out of the lab, dropping the datapad and knocking over a chair in her rush. "What did you do?"

"Nothing! It wasn't me!" Raf pointed. Ratchet had collapsed on the floor, one arm twisted awkwardly to the side and optics totally offline. A broken injector lay a few feet away.

Echo dropped to her knees and shook Ratchet's shoulder. "Dad? Dad!"

No response. Frantically, Echo grabbed Ratchet's arm and started scanning. _Something _wasn't right, or at least not normal. "Dad! _Dad!_ Wake up!"

"Unh." Ratchet's optics flickered. "Must you be so loud?"

"Sorry." Echo reached out to help him up. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Ratchet flipped open the panel on his arm to check his vitals. "I…I'm fine. _More_ than fine." The tiny screen blipped a message. "Energy efficiency up thirty percent…motor functions optimal…" A broad grin spread across his face. "Well, what do you know?" He blinked and glanced uncomfortably at Echo. "Ah. Any word from the others?"

"It's only been a few minutes, Dad. Don't change the subject." Echo pulled his arm back toward her in an effort to get a look at the screen. "What did you do?"

Ratchet easily freed his arm – too easily, considering the leverage she had. "Are you sure? We bridged them straight to – "

"Dad. Quit it." Echo made another grab for his arm. "You didn't scan normally. What did – " Her optics settled on the broken injector, then flicked over to the rack holding the synthetic energon samples. "Oh, Primus, you _didn't_! Have you lost your processor?"

"You agreed that it would help if we could do more," Ratchet pointed out. "This may just allow me to do more than I've been able to do in a long time."

Echo shook her head. "But testing on _yourself_? What would have happened if it didn't work? I can't do this job by myself!"

The comlink buzzed sharply. Ratchet hit the button, and Optimus ordered, ::Ratchet, prepare for emergency groundbridge. Get Arcee out of there.::

"Understood." Ratchet gestured for Echo to set the coordinates as he zeroed in on Arcee's signal. "Arcee, decelerate and prepare to bridge out."

::Save it, Ratchet,:: Arcee snapped. ::I'm too close. We need that energon.::

"Arcee, don't be stupid!" Echo growled. "This is no time for an ego trip! Just take the bridge!"

No response. Echo rolled her optics and resisted the urge to smack her forehead for a moment before giving in and doing it anyway. It wouldn't hurt anyone, and it made her feel better.

The signal on the screen flickered ominously, and Ratchet's optics widened. "She's hurt. Raf, man the groundbridge! Echo, with me. Now." Without waiting for either of them to respond, the older medic transformed and shot into the groundbridge. Echo exchanged a brief, worried glance with Raf before following.

She reached the end of the bridge and realized that for some reason only known to himself, Ratchet had opened the groundbridge in mid-air, well above the ground. By the time Echo noticed, gravity had already kicked in, and with a sigh she resigned herself to hitting the ground hard. It still hurt.

"Arcee, you okay?" Echo knelt beside the other femme and had started scanning for injuries when a crunch alerted her to the Vehicon behind her. "Duck!"

Arcee did, but it proved unnecessary. Just as the gun powered, the Vehicon was yanked up into the air, and a second later went flying across the canyon to smash into the far wall. Echo twisted around in shock. "_Dad?"_

Ratchet smashed a Vehicon into another before grabbing a third and hurling him to the ground. Echo's optics flickered in utter disbelief. "Wha…what the...where did that…_how?_" Her father didn't appear to notice, occupied as he was with completely destroying every Vehicon in the vicinity.

Arcee poked Echo's arm lightly. "I didn't know Ratchet could do that."

"I didn't…I never…he never…"

The older femme shook her head in awe. "Wow."

Optimus, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead skidded down the side of the rocks at one end of the canyon and stared at the carnage. Ratchet turned to face them, seemingly unaware of the Vehicon stalking up behind him.

"Dad!" Echo realized a second later she hadn't needed to say anything. Ratchet smashed the Vehicon's face in without even turning around.

The young medic stared, unsure whether to be amazed at the results of the battle or horrified that her father had killed so many Vehicons. She opted for horrified. Ratchet wasn't even _reacting _to what he had just done.

_Dad? What's going on? Why are you doing this?_


	36. Chapter 36: Crossing the Line

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Angsty Echo has a potty mouth in Cybertronian. Not much else happens, really.

**Summary:** Ratchet does steroids, part 2.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: GUESS WHO'S BACK! Yes, I am finally back to my writing after about six months with Internet only for school. I am so sorry for making everybody wait this long; hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, although my updates may remain a bit sporadic because I am currently taking college classes and those have to come first. That said, enjoy the (slightly short) chapter! My apologies to anyone who didn't want to see the Ratchet and Arcee moment. Hopefully Echo's reaction makes up for it. **

**Chapter 36: Crossing The Line**

Echo shook her head worriedly as she closed the groundbridge behind the returning Autobots. Everyone was so thrilled with the results of the synthetic energon – "synth-en", Ratchet was calling it – and even she had to admit that Ratchet's newfound combat abilities were impressive. _But am I the only one who sees a problem with this approach? It wasn't necessary to kill them all. They would have backed off. How is he justifying this? _

"So Ratchet makes a better tough guy than I do a smart guy?" Bulkhead turned the container of synth-en upside down for apparently no reason.

Optimus took the cylinder away with a frown. "Ratchet, I question the wisdom of using yourself as a test subject."

"Finally, someone who agrees with me," Echo muttered with a sideways glare at Ratchet. "Especially since we _already decided _that it wasn't ready to be field tested."

"Echo, you saw Ratchet out there!" Arcee gestured excitedly toward the synth-en. "He was in overdrive! Imagine what that could do to the 'Cons if we all tried it."

Echo placed her servos on her hips and glared at the older femme. "Uh-huh. And what happens if it has unknown side effects? Or wears off? Or – "

"I agree that the initial results seem promising," Optimus interrupted calmly. "But I recommend that further testing be confined to machines." He handed the container back to Ratchet with a brief glance in Echo's direction. "_Not_ Autobots. Outnumbered though we may be, we need the two of you in the laboratory right now. More warriors in the field won't solve our problems."

"You don't have to tell _me_," Echo huffed. "_I'm_ not the one using myself as a test subject." Turning, she stalked out of the main room with no further comment. Normally, she would never have been that rude to either Optimus or Ratchet, but her thoughts were so conflicted that she couldn't be bothered to apologize. She closed the door to her room, a little harder than necessary, with a heavy sigh and picked up her datapad. _Dad. You taught me about being a medic. About when to kill, and when not to. When did that change? Is this you, or something else? When did you cross that line? _

She wasn't sure how long she had been pretending to read when the crash shook the entire base. Dropping the datapad on her bunk, she bolted out of her room, yelling, "What the – " Her sentence was abruptly cut off by the sight of Bulkhead flat on his back among the remnants of the training room wall, and Ratchet standing in the gap between the training room and the corridor. Arcee and Bumblebee had gotten there moments earlier, and were already staring in surprise.

"You've got competition, Bulk'." Ratchet stepped down into the hallway, grinning like a maniac and taking short practice punches at nothing. "Bit stronger than I used to be. Faster, too!" One of his fake punches stopped just inches from Bumblebee's face. The scout beeped sharply in surprise, and Echo's jaw dropped in shock as Ratchet continued, "Think you can take me, muscle car?"

Bumblebee squeaked a negative, and Ratchet muttered, "Wimp". Echo backed up until she bumped into the wall as he passed, unsure of where the urge came from. _Since when am I afraid of my own father? What the _frag_ is going on here?_

For his part, Ratchet didn't even seem to notice her, brushing past Bumblebee and Bulkhead on his way back to the main room. As he passed Arcee, he clicked quietly and winked. "How's it humming?"

_What. The. Frag. Just – _

**Does not compute.**

Echo blinked and slumped against the wall as the warning sign flashed in her heads-up display. _No, no, no, there has to be a rational explana-_

**Does not compute. Does not compute.**

_My father was not hitting on Arcee. That was not what that was. That was not – that was not – _

**DOES NOT COMPUTE. DOES NOT COMPUTE. DOES NOT COMPUTE.**

Echo woke up to a worried Bumblebee humming, beeping, and tapping the side of her face. Behind him, Arcee looked down at her with a concerned expression. "You okay?"

"…Uh…yeah. Fine." Echo groaned and rubbed her forehead. "That was…a glitch. Processor couldn't handle it."

"What, Ratchet?" Arcee shook her head with a sigh and helped Echo up. "I get where you're coming from. That was just…well, bizarre."

The younger femme knew better than to think about it too much. Glitching wasn't necessarily a one-time occurrence – it could happen to any 'bot if something didn't compute, and it could happen a second time if the thing still didn't compute. "Let's not go there. How long was I out?"

"About fifteen minutes. Not too bad." Arcee started down the corridor. "The 'Cons hit another energon vein. We're about to go out after it."

As soon as the three of them entered, Optimus gestured to Arcee and Bumblebee. "Autobots, prepare to roll out."

"Whoa, hey, shouldn't we wait for our secret weapon?" Bulkhead looked in the direction of Ratchet's currently abandoned console.

To Echo's relief, Optimus shook his head. "This mission is unlikely to require medical expertise."

"But you never know if it may require additional firepower." Echo turned to see Ratchet leaning against the wall behind Optimus, and her spark sank as he continued. "Echo and Bumblebee can handle groundbridge duty. It's time to put some hurt on those Decepticons!" His optics had turned an odd shade – darker than usual, and closer to green than blue.

Unexplainable fear closed around Echo's spark, and she forced herself to speak through it. "Dad, please don't." Everyone looked at her, but she continued, desperation pushing the words out of her throat. "Don't go. Something's wrong – something's wrong with _you_. Really wrong. Please don't go with them. Just stay here and help me figure out what's – "

"Ah, hush. You worry too much." Ratchet motioned impatiently to Bumblebee. "Let's get a move on, here."

Echo's optics filled with unexpected tears. "No. Dad! Please – you have to listen to me! Please! Dad!"

It was too late. Ratchet disappeared through the groundbridge the second it opened. Optimus turned to Echo with a sympathetic expression. "I will watch him, Echo. Don't worry. "

Echo kept the bridge open a moment longer than necessary, hoping Ratchet would think better of it and come back. He didn't. Blinking away the tears, she shut the bridge and turned to Bumblebee. "Watch the comms. I have an experiment to run." She grabbed one of the synth-en canisters and headed for the diagnostic console, fingers shaking with frustration and fear. _I'm going to figure this out, Dad. I'm going to bring you back to normal. We need the medic back._

Less than twenty minutes later, the console finally yielded the results she wanted – a full analysis of the synth-en. It wouldn't tell her the exact problem, but it did give her a good overview of possibilities. "Bumblebee! Look at this!"

The scout whistled in confusion, commenting that _she_ was the scientist and he had no idea what he was looking at.

"I can't tell what exactly is wrong, but it's pretty clear this is unstable. Look at this, and this." Echo pointed to the fluctuating image, shifting colors reflected on her face. "At least one, maybe more, of the ingredients isn't holding the form it needs to. Given time, this could start to erode into processing circuits, causing…" Her voice trailed off as she realized the implications of what she was saying. Bumblebee beeped in curiosity, asking what it could cause.

"Causing drastic personality shifts and eventually processor decay," Echo finished flatly. "My father's not just acting weird. The synth-en is literally changing who he is." Her jaw tightened in determination. "I have to show him this. If we don't get that stuff out of him soon, the change might end up permanent."

Bumblebee whistled and chirped, pointing out the problem with that statement – Ratchet wasn't listening to anyone.

"I know, I know." Echo started toward the bridge controls. "But Optimus will, and he can order Ratchet to hold off on the synth-en. Once it gets out of his system, he'll listen to me, I'm sure." She waved off Bumblebee's further protests. "This might not end well, you're right. But I have to at least try. Can you handle the bridge on your own?"

Bumblebee's indignant expression said it all, but his sharp whistle confirmed that yes, he could. Echo nodded. "I'll be right back. Lock on to Optimus's signal and bridge me in as close as you can." _I will stop this before it gets worse. I will._


	37. Chapter 37: Side Effects

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Synth-en effects and nasty injuries.

**Summary:** Ratchet does steroids, part 3.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Look at that…I finally managed to update this! After another six months…*blushes and hides* Anyway, I've had this chapter planned since the beginning of the story, and I really liked how it turned out. The ending isn't great, but at least it's an ending. **

**Chapter 37: Side Effects**

Echo stepped out of the groundbridge into the heat of the Utah sun, less than twenty yards from a vicious argument. Her optics widened and renewed concern caught in her vocalizer at the sound of her father's uncharacteristically raised voice. "…have no problem endangering us! Just ask Cliffjumper. Oh, wait, I forgot. He _couldn't be here today!_"

"What? Dad!" Echo raised her voice over Arcee and Bulkhead's angry retorts, running the few yards to the group of Autobots. "What is _wrong _with you?" When he didn't acknowledge her, she reached up and tugged on his shoulder. "Dad, you _have_ to listen to me! That synth-en is getting to your processor. You have to come back to base, so we can –"

Ratchet shook her off roughly, ignoring her protest. "You know your problem, Optimus? For such a big, strong 'bot, you're _soft_. You didn't pound Megatron into scrap when you had the chance – _many _chances, in fact! And look what it's cost us! Look at the lives that have been taken because you couldn't – "

"_Dad! STOP IT!_" Echo screamed at the top of her vocalizer and grabbed his elbow joint, yanking him off-balance and pulling him back to face her. Probably out of surprise, he didn't stop her. "Stop it! Just _shut up _and _think_! Look at what you're doing! Listen to yourself!" A sob hitched in her vocalizer. "It's that stupid Primus-slagged synthetic energon. It's changing you! Screwing with your processor, not just your frame. You _can't_ even…_please_, Dad! Just come back to base…"

"Nonsense!" Ratchet snapped, jerking his arm out of her grip. "I've had about enough of this. From _all _of you!"

"That is enough, Ratchet," Optimus said firmly. "It's clear that Echo is right. The synthetic energon has impaired your judgment." His optics narrowed slightly. "I'm confining you to base until further notice. Bumblebee, bridge us back."

The bridge opened immediately, a few yards away. Ratchet looked from Optimus, to the teary-opticed Echo, over at Bulkhead and Arcee, who were both glaring at him. After a tense moment that stretched out far longer than it should have, the medic growled, "Fine. If that's how you want to be." Turning on his heel, he stalked toward the groundbridge, completely ignoring the other four Autobots.

Echo's shoulders slumped in relief as Ratchet vanished into the bridge. A heavy servo touched her arm, and she jumped and looked up at Optimus. "I-I'm sorry about…" Her voice trailed off helplessly. "I didn't mean to start yelling. I just…"

"You're worried for him," Optimus finished calmly. "As, I fear, you should be. How serious are the effects of the synthetic energon?"

Echo shook her head and bit her lower lip plate. "I don't know yet. We'll have to run some tests, get it out of his system…" The groundbridge crackled, and Echo frowned and took a few steps toward it. "Bee, is there a problem?"

Before she got a response, Ratchet bolted out of the groundbridge at top speed, slamming into Bulkhead and throwing him backward into Optimus. The two 'bots crashed to the ground, almost taking Arcee down with them. Without a word, Ratchet transformed and shot off in the opposite direction from the bridge.

Echo didn't even think before transforming and hitting the accelerator. Over the comlink, she pleaded, ::Dad! Wait! Where are you going?::

No response. She pushed herself to go faster. _I have to catch him. I have to. _

Optimus's voice crackled with static over the comlink. ::Echo! *khhhht* We'll find Ratchet's signal and *khhhht*:::

::Optimus, say again, you cut out,:: Echo responded nervously. _There must be some kind of major mineral deposit. The comms are half down. Oh, Primus, that synth-en increased speed too…what if I can't catch him? What if…_

::Return to *khhht*. Echo, do you *khhht*:: The comm cut out completely. Echo winced and tried not to panic. _Okay. Think. I don't know where he's going. His signal's gone – it must be scrambled by the new energon. But I've got the synth-en signal on radar. I can follow that. I have to catch him. He has to listen. He just has to. _Her spark pulsed in worry and fear. _What's the point of being a medic if I can't save my own father?_

The terrain got rougher the further she drove. It was hard to keep her wheels steady, and several times she almost skidded over small cliffs when she didn't see a turn in time. The only bright spot she could find was that the rough ground would slow Ratchet down, too. She wasn't sure how far they'd driven. _Dad, what are you doing? What's happening?_

Then several other signals popped up on her heads-up display, and Echo braked abruptly and nearly crashed into a rock. ::Hello? Echo to base! Code red, repeat, I have multiple 'Con signals in the area. Hello?::

If the others could hear her, they weren't able to respond. Echo cycled her vents and edged forward until one more signal appeared – an energon deposit. A massive one. _What is..._ She scanned the area until she spotted the source: a bot-sized tunnel, partly disguised by a hologram emitter. It had probably been a lot more effective before someone smashed it.

_Dad_. Echo looked around cautiously before transforming and silently ducking through the entrance. She didn't need to duck – it was probably made for a miner – but it felt stealthier somehow. _I'm not built for this. _Something crunched under one pede, and she flinched. Not because of the noise, but because of the thought of what it might be. _With the way Dad's acting…and there's 'Cons in this tunnel…_

Her scan picked up the synth-en not too far away, and she tiptoed in that direction as quickly as she could while still being quiet. _Please don't be in a fight, please don't be in a fight…_

Then she heard the crash. Seconds later, Ratchet's normal signal appeared in her display, and her optics widened. That could only happen if the synth-en had been removed…and the only way it could be removed so rapidly…

_No! _Echo forgot all about stealth, and ran for her father's fading signal.

She skidded around a corner just in time to hear KnockOut's familiar smug tone. "…your contribution to the Decepticon cause is _very _much appreciated…"

Horror slammed through her spark, and she froze, just out of sight in the tunnel entrance. Ratchet was sprawled on the ground, a massive wound visible on the left side of his torso. Echo realized dimly that her coding had kicked in, because she was analyzing the injury without even thinking. _Crushing and lacerations. Internal and external bleeding. Severe energon loss. _Green synth-en had pooled around her father's frame. She wanted to run to him, try to fix it _somehow_, but her limbs just weren't responding.

KnockOut was still talking. "I'll be sure to boast of your accomplishment when you're gone."

_No. No! _Echo managed a step forward. Then another. Neither mech had seen her yet. KnockOut lowered a spinning saw toward Ratchet's head.

"Which will happen in three…two…"

Between "two" and "one", Echo's frame started working again, and suddenly she was across the small cave, slamming fist-first into KnockOut's chest. "_NO!_ Leave him alone!" He had a size advantage, the rational part of her processor noted as the Decepticon stumbled backward, but that didn't do much good when he was off-balance. Echo landed on both pedes and one servo and immediately pushed herself upright, standing between KnockOut and Ratchet with her blades drawn.

KnockOut stared at her in disbelief for a moment before laughing. "Well, look who it is! Couldn't just watch Daddy bleed out, hmm?" He smirked and stalked back toward her, saw humming ominously. "Tell you what. You get out of my way and let me do my job, and I'll let _you _live."

Echo shook her head, a single word rasping its way out of her vocalizer. "No."

"No?" KnockOut chuckled. "Come on, you _know _you can't beat me. How painful do you want this to be?" He pulled his arm back, and Echo lifted one blade to block, already knowing it wouldn't work.

As the saw came down, a servo that wasn't Echo's intercepted it, and a second later Ratchet's fist slammed into KnockOut's face and launched him several yards back. Echo gasped as her father stepped between her and the Decepticon, pushing her back gently. "…Dad?"

"Echo, go!" Ratchet grunted in pain and blocked KnockOut's next swing, struggling to shove him back. "Go! I'm fine!"

"I'm not leaving!" Panic welled in Echo's vocalizer, and she swung one of her blades at KnockOut's arm. He deflected it and kicked her away, sending her stumbling to the floor, but the moment's distraction allowed Ratchet to throw KnockOut off of him and dodge the 'Con's next attack. The spinning saw embedded in the wall, trapping KnockOut for the moment.

Barely looking at him, Ratchet staggered over to a container on the floor. Echo realized, with terror, that it contained most of the remaining synth-en. "Dad, _no_…"

KnockOut, still struggling with the saw, grinned. "What are you going to do, drink it?"

Ratchet ignored the Decepticon and turned to look at Echo. His optics had returned to their normal blue, and he smiled very slightly at her. "No. I'm going to destroy it." And with that, he hurled the container into the nearest rock wall, sending synth-en splattering over the ground uselessly.

"You idiot!" KnockOut wrenched the saw from the wall and turned on the duo. "Megatron will have my head for that!"

Before Echo could do more than pick herself up, ready to fight but not sure it would help, laser fire echoed from the tunnel. KnockOut glanced up, snapped, "Scrap," and bolted, but Echo hardly even noticed his departure. Ratchet's optics had been gradually dimming throughout the fight, and as KnockOut vanished, the Autobot medic collapsed onto the ground.

"Dad? Dad!" Echo ran to his side, dropping to her knees next to him. _No, no, no, no…_ "Dad, look at me. Dad? You're going to be fine." Automatically, she reached across his chest, trying to find a way to patch the bleeding wound. "It's okay. Scans say the synth-en is out of your system. You're going to be okay."

"…Echo…" Ratchet reached up to brush her cheek, and she realized she was crying. "Echo…I'm sorry…"

"I know. I know. Don't talk, okay?" Echo blinked, vision blurring, and started prying at one of her own spare panels. "The others are here. We're going home. Just hold on…." As Optimus reached the two medics, Ratchet's optics faded completely to black and closed. Echo nearly choked on tears. "No. _No…_"

Hours later, at the Autobot base, Ratchet's optics finally flickered back online. Echo, who had been half-dozing off, bolted upright. "Dad? Oh, thank _Primus_!" She pressed her servo against his shoulder, holding him down. "Don't. You…you lost so much energon. I thought…" She swallowed back a sob. "You're going to be fine."

"Echo. Oh, Echo. I'm so sorry." Ratchet's servo wrapped around hers, solid and reassuring. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone. I only wanted – "

"To help. We know." Echo blinked rapidly and leaned down to rest her forehead against her father's shoulder. "I know. It's okay."

"It is _not _okay." Ratchet shook his head and winced. "No. I hurt you. I let you down. And not just you – the whole team. It was unacceptable." His servo tightened around hers. "I promise you, it will never happen again. Never."

Echo closed her optics, tension that she hadn't know was there easing. "I'll hold you to that."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't." Ratchet's thumb stroked the back of her servo lightly. "What happened to the rest of the synth-en?"

She shrugged as best she could with her head on his shoulder. "I got rid of everything that was left here. I don't know if KnockOut managed to get any, but…"

"Don't worry about him." Ratchet stared up at the ceiling with a small sigh. "It obviously needs further testing before it's safe for anything. Even he's not stupid enough to use it after seeing that."


	38. Chapter 38: Prophecy

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Really nothing other than Echo cussing in Cybertronian.

**Summary:** The Autobots discuss an ancient prophecy.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Here we go into the finale of season 1! This is one of those chapters where not a lot happens except talking, but that needs to be written for everything else to work. I promise the next few will have more action. This isn't just a filler chapter, though – there are a few plot points here, so hopefully it's not **_**too **_**boring. Now, I'm off to work, and I'd love to see some reviews when I come back! *hint hint***

**Chapter 38: Prophecy**

_And it was written in the covenant of Primus, that when the forty-seven spheres align, a perpetual conflict will culminate upon a world forged from chaos, and the weak shall perish in the shadow of a rising darkness._

Optimus's recital of the ancient prophecy was met with a long moment of uncomfortable silence, which Arcee finally broke with a half-serious, "No 'sky is raining fire'?"

"Goes without saying, don't you think?" Ratchet pointed out dryly. "It is a _doomsday _prophecy, after all."

"I think it's a load of hooey," Bulkhead grumbled. Echo glanced sideways at him.

"Really? Why? I mean, I know it's one of those sparkling stories, but you can't write it off _completely_. Remember dark energon? The energon harvester? Cybonic plague? Those are all things I learned about in the stories too, and look what we've had to deal with."

"Those are exactly the reasons we are discussing this," Ratchet responded with an approving look at his daughter. "I always assumed the prophecy was referring to our home planet, but seeing that Cybertron has been dark for eons…"

"And considering what has befallen this planet since Megatron's arrival here…" Optimus added with a slight hint of concern in his voice.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Bulkhead held up both servos. "Okay, Echo has a point about the other stories, but we've known about this one for ages. No one ever gave it a second thought."

Arcee nodded in agreement. "Why all the ominous rumblings now?"

"Because the planetary alignment to which the prophecy refers is nearly upon us." Optimus gestured toward the computer screen, where Ratchet and Echo were running a simulation of various planetary trajectories. "And it would seem that its endpoint is Earth."

Echo looked up at the simulation and grimaced. He was right – every possible combination ended with Earth as the last in a chain of forty-seven planets. "…Right. Slag it."

"Uh…" Bulkhead chuckled nervously. "Crazy coincidence, right?"

Ratchet and Echo shook their heads simultaneously. Arcee frowned and took a step closer to get a better look at the computer. "How long are we talking? Before the alignment, I mean."

Echo shrugged and looked at Ratchet, who pulled up some data on the computer screen. "A few days, at most."

"Oh." Arcee, Bulkhead, and Echo exchanged nervous glances, before Arcee muttered, "_Scrap_."

Optimus moved away from the computer so that he could see all of them clearly. "However unsettling this revelation may be, I am not particularly worried for us. Now that we know that something is coming, we can prepare to defend ourselves and humanity. Also, the prophecy does not specify what the danger might be. I am more concerned with those who may believe that the prophecy speaks to them alone."

"You're referring to Megatron," Ratchet said quietly. It was not a question. Optimus simply nodded in response.

Echo waited for someone else to ask the obvious question, and when no one did, she spoke up. "Okay, assuming Megatron thinks the prophecy is about him, what is he going to do about it? I mean, perpetual conflict, that's probably the Autobot-Decepticon war. That's nothing new. I suppose he could try to force a decisive end to it here. But 'shadow of a rising darkness'? If Megatron is the darkness, didn't he 'rise' already, when he showed up with the dark energon? Or when he…came back after being in stasis?" _After I brought him back. _She flinched involuntarily at the thought and hurried on. "All of that happened before the planetary alignment. He's out of dark energon. What's he going to do now? And what about the 'chaos' bit? Earth isn't exactly a world known for being chaotic. On a galactic scale, I mean."

"I too am concerned with Megatron's possible plans." Optimus shook his head. "But until we pick up traces of Decepticon movement, we have no way of knowing. Bumblebee will be here with the humans in less than an hour. I would appreciate it if none of you discussed this with the children. Either Echo or Ratchet can explain it to Bumblebee in private, but until we know something concrete, I do not want them to worry."

"Yes, sir." "Got it," Arcee and Bulkhead responded in unison. Echo shrugged.

"I don't talk to them much anyway."

"Same here." Ratchet sighed. "Echo, better get to work on those scanners. Maybe we can pick up the 'Cons more quickly if we recalibrate a few of the older ones."

"That would help," Echo said hopefully. "Maybe we could even reset a couple, scan for specific signatures…"

Two hours later, her optimism had been completely replaced by frustration. The reset hadn't helped, and attempting to calibrate their oldest scanner had resulted in a small explosion. By the time Jack, Miko, and Raf had calmed down and settled on the couch with the youngest boy's laptop, Echo was laying on her back under the main computer screen trying to find the source of the problem. This time it couldn't be blamed on the humans – it was standard tech failure, nothing new. And at least the one currently talking was Jack, the human she had the least problem with, but it was still not helping.

"Pass…nope…kid in a costume…balloon…nope…uh, hold on, right there. The camera sure loves Bee."

"What can I say?" Miko chirped. "When you're a superstar, you're paparazzi bait!"

Echo poked her head out from under the computer with a sigh. "Will you _please _stop narrating everything on the screen? What are you even doing? Dad, try it now – I reattached a couple wires."

"That wasn't it," Ratchet reported before looking over at the children. "Is that a picture of Bumblebee?"

"Yeah, on a conspiracy website," Raf answered. "Where users post evidence of 'close encounters'?"

Echo groaned and glared at Bumblebee's left pede, the only part of him she could currently see. "_Really_, Bee? That's the last thing we need right now!"

"It's okay, Echo, we have it under control," Jack called down. "Raf knows how to change the picture."

"Yep! We just scrub…and…replace." Raf clicked on a few things, and an automated female voice sing-songed from the computer. "Mars cat says take me to your feeder!"

Ratchet chuckled. Echo had to smile, even without seeing the picture – she'd run across the captioned cats online before. "Not bad."

"Wait, did Ratchet just _laugh_?" Miko was clearly exaggerating her surprise, to Echo's annoyance. "And Echo liked something we did? Everyone take cover, the world's ending!"

The comment made Echo jump slightly and almost hit her head on the underside of the computer before she realized it was a figure of speech. _Calm down, Echo. _Luckily, none of the children had noticed; Jack was talking to someone else. "Hey, Optimus! Wanna see something funny?"

"No," Optimus responded distractedly. Echo slid out far enough to see that he was still looking at their simulation, and mostly ignoring the humans. Jack sighed in disappointment.

"Don't take it personally." Arcee held out a hand to help Echo up, which the young medic brushed away with a quick head-shake. "Primes are built that way."

Bulkhead nodded in agreement. "Never seen Optimus laugh, cry, or lose his cool."

"I don't know if he ever _has_," Echo commented, poking another wire into place. "Try it again, Dad. I think it's a Prime thing - I can't remember even hearing about a Prime losing control. Maybe the Matrix picks 'bots who just don't show that much emotion."

"Not exactly," Ratchet responded. "While Optimus certainly keeps his emotions in check, I've known him far longer than any of you have, and he was different before he was made a Prime. Very different."

"Huh." Echo fiddled with her wrench. "Different how?"

"Wait a second, Optimus wasn't always a Prime?" Raf interrupted.

Ratchet looked annoyed. "On Cybertron, one isn't born into greatness. One must earn it. And Echo, different enough that you probably wouldn't recognize him. I think you would have gotten along well with him, though."

"So…" Miko dragged the word out. "We talking 'party animal'? Like Bulkhead or Wheeljack?"

"No, no." Ratchet shook his head. "Optimus was more like…well, more like Jack."

"Really?" Echo sat up in surprise and turned to look at the young human, who shuffled uncomfortably and stared at the floor.

"What? Come on, guys, I'm nothing like – "

"Prime!" Agent Fowler's face appeared abruptly on the screen along with his voice, causing Echo to jump, glare, and reconsider the idea of making him a collar with a bell. "Those tech heists my department's been tracking? At first we thought it was MECH, on account of the stealth tactics. Until a few minutes ago, when a security feed at the Pennington-Ebbs particle collider captured _this._"

Echo stood up and moved over to Ratchet's side to look. "That's…Primus, that's _Soundwave!_ He never leaves the Decepticon ship, except for emergencies. What's he doing running errands for Megatron?"

"Raf can swap that out for you with a funny cat," Miko offered. Echo, Jack, and Ratchet shot her simultaneous glares.

Fowler continued, oblivious to the interruption. "The 'Con without a face made off with a cutting-edge phase conductor. Here's a punch list of everything else we've confirmed stolen, to date."

"Plasma injector, neutron shield, tesseract?" Echo read the list off in growing worry. "Dad, there's only one thing you need all of those and a phase conductor for. And the only thing they _still _need…"

"Is a power source," Ratchet finished quietly. "You asked what Megatron could be trying to do this time? Here's your answer." He looked over at Echo, who stared back at him with wide optics. "They're building another space bridge."


	39. Chapter 39: The Weak Shall Perish

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Call backs to previous creepy stuff. An injured human child.

**Summary:** Echo's worst fears about how far Megatron will go are realized.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: "One Shall Fall", part 2! *ominous title theme* This was a tough chapter to write, mostly because it's one of the most powerful moments of the show. I hope I did it justice. Let me know what you think!**

**Chapter 39: The Weak Shall Perish**

"_Such a little thing for a medic like yourself," Megatron taunted. The purple glow from his optics sent chills down Echo's spinal strut. "After all, your coding directs you to heal, does it not?" _

_Echo tried to respond. Tried to throw it back in his face. Tried to tell him what he could do with his dark energon, and his world-conquering plans, and the entire 'Con army while he was at it._

_She couldn't. Her vocalizer wouldn't work._

"_Well, admittedly…" Megatron looked her over with a savage smirk. "You may find _this_ harder to heal."_

_Pain shot through Echo's energon lines, agony burning all the way to her spark. She lifted her servo to her face, instinctively, and almost screamed when she saw the dark purple lines running under the metal._

_Dark energon._

"_No! No, it can't – No!" Her vocalizer kicked back in, and she screamed in pain and terror as the world darkened around her. The only other sound was Megatron's laughter._

"Echo. Echo! Wake up!"

"Huh?" Echo's optics snapped open and she gasped, vents cycling frantically in an effort to slow her racing spark.

No dark energon. No Megatron. Her father was crouched in front of her chair, optics narrowed in worry. "Echo, are you alright? What's wrong?"

"Yeah. Just…a bad dream." She was at the base. Everything was fine. She was still safe. What was she doing sleeping in front of the computer?

Megatron's space bridge! Echo practically jumped out of the chair and almost fell down. Her left pede was slightly numb from the awkward sitting position. "What's going on? Do we have any updates? I'm sorry…I didn't mean to fall asleep, I was just -"

"It's alright, Echo," Optimus interrupted calmly from somewhere behind her. She turned, accepting her father's servo up, to see the Autobot leader nodding to her. "I would let you rest longer, but I am afraid time is short. We need your research capabilities."

"Yes, sir." Echo cycled her vents again, reached for the chair, and knocked it over in surprise when Fowler appeared on the screen in front of her, barking, "Prime! 'Cons really stepped in it this time." Catching her breath with a grimace, Echo backed up quickly, allowing Optimus to move closer to the screen as the human continued. "They hit a U.S. military lab. Our boys in green'll fend them off until your team shows –"

Optimus was already shaking his head. "Agent Fowler, I fear that Megatron's desperation may be at its zenith." Despite her best efforts, Echo couldn't keep from shivering at the name, the memory of her dream still fresh in her processor. Noticing the movement, Optimus glanced down briefly at her before continuing. "And you know that I cannot condone even a single human casualty. We will come as soon as we can, but your people must not attempt to stop Megatron."

Fowler sighed. "I was afraid of that. I'll do what I can. Fowler out." His image disappeared from the screen, and Optimus turned to the rest of the team.

"Arcee, Bulkhead, with me. Ratchet, open a groundbridge to that military lab. Echo, recall Bumblebee – we may need him as backup. Autobots, roll out!"

Ratchet barely had time to lock the coordinates and get the bridge open before Optimus, Arcee, and Bulkhead were racing through it. Echo opened a comm line to Bumblebee, as quickly as she could with shaky servos – _why are they doing that? _– and started relaying the situation as soon as he answered.

"Bumblebee, the 'Cons hit a military lab! The team's going to need backup. They're three cliks from your current position, just off the highway."

Bumblebee whistled disappointedly, something about how he still had Raf with him and couldn't very well take the boy into combat. Echo checked his location on her scanners. "Copy that. If you drop Raf at the exit ramp, I'll bridge him back to base from there. Hurry!"

Bumblebee beeped an affirmative, and Echo slumped back in the chair for a second, still trying to settle herself down. Ratchet looked up from the groundbridge controls. "Echo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," she responded automatically, staring at her servos. With enough focus, she managed to stop them from shaking. "I'm good."

Shaking his head, Ratchet moved over to her side and placed a servo on her shoulder. "No, you're not."

Echo blinked up at him. "I told you. Nightmare."

"About?"

She bit her lower lip. "Megatron. Dark energon."

"Ah." Ratchet nodded in understanding. "This is bringing the memories back?"

"Kind of. They never really…" Echo looked down. "Never really went away. I just tried not to think about it."

"Mm." Ratchet didn't push the issue, resting his servo lightly on her back. Echo glanced back up at him and was about to say something when she was interrupted by Miko's voice from above her on the balcony.

"I'm _bored! _Why couldn't we go with Bulk' and help kick some Decepticon butt?"

Echo and Ratchet groaned simultaneously. "Because you nearly get us all killed every time," Ratchet growled. "Believe me, regardless of your personal feelings on the matter, I will be making _every _possible effort to keep you away from these situations."

"Awww!" Miko pouted. Jack glanced up at the medics, shrugged, and made a face that probably meant 'I get what you're saying, but what can I do about it?' Echo half-smiled at him and turned back to her computer.

No sooner had she pulled up her diagram of the space bridge specifications, when the comm system beeped sharply. Ratchet hit the button, and Optimus's voice echoed around the room. The static in the transmission couldn't disguise the edge of concern. ::Ratchet! Bridge us back now!::

::Copy,:: Ratchet responded, already hurrying toward the controls. "Echo! Get ready. We must have an Autobot down."

Echo glanced at the signals on the screen in sudden fear. All of them were still reading 'active'. Was the scanner broken? Someone hurt and their processor not registering it? She automatically ran through the many possibilities, grabbing her kit from the medbay and half-running back to the main room as she heard the bridge open. "Who – "

She froze in mid-sentence as she recognized Raf, unconscious and completely still, cradled in Arcee's left arm.

"What happened?" Ratchet rushed to Arcee's side, studying the boy with worried optics. Behind her, Echo could hear Jack and Miko's horrified reactions, but all she could do was stand, frozen. She knew the answer to Ratchet's question before Arcee gave it.

"Megatron."

Ratchet's jaw tightened. "Get him to the medbay. Now! Echo, get a diagnostic scanner running."

Echo scrambled to obey, coding driving her actions. For once she was thankful; she was too upset, and would undoubtedly have made a mistake. "Dad, he's not responding. We need vitals, statistics, _something…_"

"We can't!" Ratchet practically threw one of his tools at the far wall. Echo's jaw dropped in shock, but she understood a second later when Ratchet continued, tone almost shaking in frustration. "Our tools – they're all wrong! We can't do _anything._"

"No. No, no, there has to be something, anything…" Echo's voice trailed off and tears prickled her optics. No matter what databases she checked, there was nothing. "Slag it – _slag it!_"

Jack shook his head and paced impatiently. "I'm calling my mom."

_His mother? What…oh. Right. Nurse. _Echo frowned. "But will she…I mean, she can't –" June Darby might have known about the Autobots for a few months, but she'd stayed as far away from them as possible. Echo had barely even talked to the woman.

Ratchet was more direct. "Your mother may be a nurse, but does she know anything about the effects of energon on the human body? Because -"

Jack spun around and glared at both medics. "Do _you_? Do you even know anything about the human body at all?"

Echo opened her mouth to retort, and promptly closed it. _Frag it…he's right. _She'd done so much research since arriving on Earth, but she had never once thought of looking into human anatomy. Beside her, Ratchet's shoulders slumped as he came to the same realization Echo had.

They'd failed, and now a human child would pay the price.

As Jack made his phone call, Ratchet looked down at Raf, lying perfectly still on the tiny cot they'd found for him. "The prophecy. The weak shall perish…"

"Dad, don't _say _that!" Echo fought back her tears. "Don't. He's not weak. If there's one thing we _do _know about humans…they're not weak. Many other uncomplimentary things. But _not weak._" She was surprised by how firm her own voice sounded.

Ratchet nodded slowly, still gazing at the boy. "I hope you are right, for his sake. Be strong, Rafael…"


	40. Chapter 40: Megatron Rising

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Same injured human child and a couple of Cybertronian swear words from Echo.

**Summary:** One crisis averted, but the worst hasn't even started yet.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Chapter 40 and 286 reviews already! Thank you all so much! I wrote a nice long chapter for you guys this time, now that we're finishing out "One Shall Fall". Yes, the title is borrowed from the Transformers Animated S1 finale. I just liked the way it sounded. **

**Chapter 40: Megatron Rising**

June Darby's (non-Autobot) car skidded to a halt just outside of the groundbridge, and the human woman was out of the vehicle and hurrying toward the medbay before Echo managed to close the bridge. Jack intercepted her halfway. "Mom! Thank – "

"Grab my bag," June ordered calmly, ignoring Echo entirely as the Autobot quickly stepped out of her way. It was odd to see a human acting rather like Ratchet, although Echo supposed she shouldn't have expected anything else.

Raf didn't react to June checking him over, with something that reminded Echo of a spark-scanner and another object that had no apparent Cybertronian counterpart. She would have to look it up later. Ratchet continued scanning the boy, worry evident in his optics. "Measuring the extent of the absorption should determine the proper course of treatment. Do you have any – "

June spun around to glare at the Autobot medic, snapping, "If I don't get this boy stabilized _now_, he will not leave this table alive! Do you understand me?"

Ratchet took a step back, holding out a servo to keep Echo back with a look that meant _Let her handle it_. Reluctantly, Echo stayed a few steps away, watching and doing her best to keep her coding overridden. She still wasn't good at that.

Bumblebee let out a series of angry whistles, spun around, and slammed one fist into the wall hard enough to crack the concrete. Echo and Arcee moved simultaneously, the medic pushing Bumblebee back from the table while the blue femme grabbed his arms to stop him from hitting anything else. "Bee, _listen,_" Arcee growled firmly. "Listen! You have to calm down." At his frustrated beeping response, she snapped, "You think I don't know how it feels to watch a partner – harmed? Revenge won't help Raf right now."

Bumblebee's optics dimmed as Arcee let him go, and he stared sadly down at the boy on the table. Echo reached out and slid her servo into his, wrapping her fingers tightly around Bumblebee's larger ones. The scout held her servo quietly, with no other reaction than his grip tightening slightly. _There has to be something we can do. I can't just watch this happen…_

A beep from the comm system made both of them jump. Echo cycled her vents quickly, slowing her racing spark, as Optimus's voice crackled over the comm line. ::Ratchet, how is Rafael?::

"It is too soon to know," Ratchet answered quietly, stepping away from the table so as not to disturb the humans.

::He's in good servos,:: Optimus responded calmly. Echo and Ratchet exchanged dismayed looks before Ratchet admitted, "Not mine, Optimus. Curse my Cybertronian pride! We've accepted these humans into our lives, allowed them to share our risks…and yet I bothered to learn so little of their science, or medicine…"

"It wasn't just you, Dad." Echo's voice cracked slightly. "I never even thought about it. And now…"

::Pull yourselves together, both of you,:: Optimus's tone was gentle, but Echo winced anyway. ::The humans need you now, just as much as the Autobots do. Lock onto my coordinates and open a groundbridge to base.::

At Ratchet's nod to her, Echo responded, "Copy," and moved away from Bumblebee toward the groundbridge controls. Locking onto Optimus's coordinates was relatively simple…_wait. What? _Echo blinked at the screen in surprise, even as she opened the bridge. "Prime, sir…where _are _you?"

::'Con ship.:: It was Bulkhead who answered. ::Be good to get out of here. You coming, Prime?::

Optimus must have left the comm line open – probably intentionally – because all five Autobots could hear his response. ::There is something I must do.::

::What, seriously?:: Bulkhead didn't sound happy.

::I have been foolish not to see what history has proven over and over again: that Autobots and Decepticons will _never _mend their ways.:: Echo's optics widened, and she looked back at Ratchet in shock as Optimus continued. ::If there can be no diplomatic solution to this perpetual conflict, then I must not allow more darkness to fall on this or any other planet. Megatron must be destroyed.::

No matter how much she wanted to, Echo couldn't find any possible way to protest. Apparently neither could anyone else, because the comm line closed a second later with no response, and Bulkhead stumbled through the bridge a second later. Echo closed it, barely noticing what she was doing. _Megatron…destroyed? _Some part of Echo's processor – her still-overridden coding – insisted that it wasn't right, that killing Megatron was not in their job description. But the memories of Cliffjumper's death, Raf's still form, the nightmares of the voice in her head, and the image of a lost home, forced the reluctance back. _Optimus is right. The war will never end as long as Megatron lives._

But Echo was sure she could never have made that decision herself.

June's voice startled Echo out of her thoughts. "Jack! Help me get Raf to the car. He's going to the emergency room."

"No!" Ratchet and Echo responded simultaneously, Echo hurrying back to the table as Ratchet continued. "Nurse Darby, your doctors won't be able to even comprehend what is wrong with him, not without a decade of study."

"I don't have time to argue." The woman glared up at Echo as if she expected the youngest Autobot to try to block her way.

Echo tried not to look threatening. "The effects of an energon blast on an Autobot are devastating enough! This is a human. Our readings – "

"Are nonexistent," Ratchet interrupted. "Echo, I'm not getting _any _energon readings. I've run this through the computer three times. There's no way to tell how much he absorbed, or…" The older medic's voice trailed off. Echo stepped carefully around June and hurried to his side.

"What?"

Ratchet shook his head, optics widening in realization. "How could I not have seen this? Rafael's been infected with _dark_ energon."

"What? How?" Fear rose in Echo's spark again. She forced it out of her mind. "Isn't Megatron out of – "

"Clearly not." Ratchet was already reaching for his tools again. "If dark energon is devouring Raf from the inside out, we need to expel it, and fast. The only possible way I know..."

"Energon. I'm on it." Echo dropped the override, letting her coding snap back into place, and ran for an energon cube.

June's voice surprised the young medic, but didn't stop her. "Wait! You said energon was _devastating _to humans!" When Echo turned around with the energon, June was looking from her to Ratchet. "Why would you deliberately expose him to it?"

"Under normal circumstances, we would not," Ratchet explained briskly, already setting up the cylinder. "But I am relying on the dark matter currently invading his body to meet it head-on. The two should cancel out."

"Should? You mean you don't know?" For once, Miko sounded genuinely worried. Echo glanced down at the girl and was surprised to see her staring up at the two medics with fear in her eyes.

"All we can do is try." Echo managed to sound more confident than she felt.

The monitor beeped ominously as Raf's heartbeat increased. Ratchet gestured sharply to the humans. "I need him over here, now! Echo, prep the stasis chamber!"

"On it!" Echo typed in frantic commands as Ratchet attached the energon cylinder and motioned for the humans to leave the chamber. June ducked out just as the doors closed, moving aside to allow Jack and Miko to watch through the transparent wall.

"Okay, Dad." Echo's free servo tightened into a nervous fist, fingertips digging into her palm. "We're good." Ratchet nodded once to her, and she slowly pushed down the lever.

The stasis chamber – and half of the base around it – flared white as the energon started to glow. Echo blinked, shielding her optics. _Please work. Please work. _

It took less than a minute for the entire energon container to transfer into the stasis chamber. The three humans ran in as soon as the door opened, along with Bumblebee, but Echo couldn't bring herself to go look. _What if we estimated the amount wrong? What if it didn't work? What if – _

"Pulse rate is stabilizing," June reported, relief evident in her voice. Echo looked up just in time to see Raf's eyes flicker open.

"…Bee?"

Ratchet cycled his vents in relief and placed an arm around Echo's shoulders. "It worked. His readings are returning to normal." The older medic opened a comm line. "Optimus, if you can hear me…we did it. Rafael will live."

No response.

"Optimus?"

Still nothing. Ratchet frowned. "Echo, see if you can home in on his signal."

Echo nodded and hurried out to the main computer, typing rapidly and trying to ignore the discussion happening behind her.

"I can't believe you let Optimus go after Megatron _alone, _Bulkhead." Arcee sounded distinctly annoyed.

"Not like I had a choice!" The former Wrecker shrugged. "You heard him. Orders are orders, and all that."

Ratchet looked up from studying Raf's readings. "Echo, we need a fix on his location…"

"Working on it!" Echo snapped, trying a different setting. "Something's screwing with the signals."

Apparently not noticing – or choosing to ignore – her annoyance, Ratchet ordered, "Arcee, Bulkhead, check the external sensors. I'll check the main lines. Echo, keep trying."

"Copy." The femme barely noticed when they left, still entering repeated commands. _Come on, come on… _

Then a signal popped up in the corner of her screen. She ignored it. "Almost got it…Dad, I'm locked on to Optimus's signal. I can – " Out of the corner of her optic, she spotted the signal in the corner. "What in the name of…that shouldn't be…Dad! We've got a problem! Oh, slag..." Fingers practically flying over the keyboard, she entered rapid groundbridge coordinates and locked the signal down. "We have to get him out of there, now! His signal's flaring – he's already hurt."

::I'll be there in a minute!::

"We don't have a minute!" Echo glanced at Bumblebee, still checking to make sure Raf was recovering, and made a snap decision that was probably mostly coding. "Dad, I'm going. Send someone to back me up, because I don't know for sure what else we're dealing with…"

::Echo, no! Stay put and wait for us. That's a direct - ::

Echo was already transforming, racing down the tunnel and through the groundbridge. "Sorry, Dad. No time!"

::Echo!::

The motorcycle skidded out of the groundbridge, transformed, and landed on the solid rock of a mountain slope. Her optics snapped wide in horror at the sight in front of her, and she suddenly remembered why she should have overridden that coding decision. _Slag it…_

Less than twenty yards away, Megatron stood over Optimus, massive blade raised for a killing strike. Behind him, dark energon exploded from the center of the mountain and rained down around them, casting an eerie purple glow over dark sky and bare rock.

Terror pulsed in Echo's spark, catching in her vocalizer and locking her joints. She couldn't run. She couldn't fight. She couldn't hide.

All she could do was stare at the Autobots' collective worst nightmare.

_No…_


	41. Chapter 41: Blood of Unicron

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Really nothing other than Echo cussing in Cybertronian.

**Summary:** Dark energon is erupting from within Earth, and Echo's not sure how she's going to deal with this.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Happy birthday to me….*clears throat* Sorry. Anyway, another update for you guys! Thank you so much for all of the wonderful reviews on the last chapter! I love hearing what you think. Hope you like this chapter. There's not much action, but it's all building up to the big finale. **

**Chapter 41: Blood of Unicron**

A fragment of dark energon bounced off Echo's forehead, leaving a slight burn and a streak of purple on the metal. Lightning flickered through the clouds, followed by crashing thunder. The ground shook as the volcano eruption intensified. Whatever part of her processor hadn't locked up – probably her coding – noted the burning in her energon lines from so much exposure to the toxic substance. It wasn't safe to be so close to…whatever this was.

But no matter how hard she tried to do something, _any-fragging-thing_, she couldn't make herself move.

Megatron hadn't noticed her yet, entirely focused on the Autobot pinned to the ground by one of the Decepticon's pedes. "A question, Optimus, that you shall take to your grave!" The silver blade, glowing purple in the light from the volcano, swept a few inches higher.

"No!" Echo couldn't stop her shout. Or the sound of her blades ejecting.

Megatron looked up, smirk widening at the sight of Echo still standing frozen where she had landed. "Ah, the little medic. Always so defiant." His laugh grated on her audios, even over the sound of the volcano. "Come to watch Optimus Prime die?"

She couldn't respond. Her coding screamed at her to attack. Her terror screamed at her to run. Her limbs wouldn't cooperate with either command. Time seemed to slow as Megatron's blade swept down.

Then a groundbridge opened behind her with a familiar hiss, and before anyone had time to react, Bulkhead was through the bridge and slamming into Megatron with a shout. The Decepticon leader was knocked away from Optimus and skidded backward, metal screeching against rock. Without thinking, Echo found herself stumbling and sprinting forward, dropping to her knees beside Optimus, who was already struggling to sit up. Her voice shook. "Prime? Don't. You're…"

"Echo!" Her father was right beside her, one servo on her shoulder and the other reaching for Optimus. The Autobot leader groaned, almost falling backward again. Ratchet scanned him rapidly and snapped, "We'll have to pull him through the bridge. Arcee!"

Still shaking, Echo ducked down to get her shoulder under Optimus's arm. Arcee hurried to her side, helping support Optimus as Ratchet lifted him from the other side. Between the three of them, they managed to pull him over to the bridge and through onto the floor of the Autobot base.

The crash of metal from the far side reminded Echo abruptly of the fourth member of their party. "Bulkhead? Bulkhead!"

Arcee spun around and gestured sharply. "Bulk'! Now, now, now!"

With a final defiant growl, Bulkhead transformed and sped toward the bridge, with Megatron right behind him. Echo's optics went wide and her spark jolted as Megatron lunged, blade extended and optics blazing. "Dad!..."

The instant Bulkhead reached the bridge, Ratchet gestured, and Bumblebee flipped the switch. The last thing visible from the far side was Megatron, snarling in frustration before the bridge deactivated.

Bumblebee whistled in concern at the sight of the group. Ratchet grunted, helping Optimus over to a berth and pushing him down to a sitting position. "Easy, Optimus. You've been exposed to quite a bit of dark energon. Echo, are you hurt?"

"N-no." Echo's voice still shook, to her embarrassment. Now that she was back in base, without Megatron standing right in front of her, she couldn't believe how badly she had handled the situation. _Call myself a medic? I couldn't even override my own coding…_

"Echo?" Ratchet looked over at her with a slight frown.

_Deal with it later. _She cycled her vents slowly. "I'm fine."

Ratchet didn't look convinced, but nodded. "We've got a few patch jobs here. Grab your kit and an energon cube. Enough for you, too. You weren't as badly exposed as Optimus, but better safe than sorry."

Echo nodded, bit her lip component, and hurried to grab the specified items. Out of the corner of her optic, she saw Raf wave up at Optimus. "Hey."

"He's lucky to be alive." When Echo turned, Jack's mother was glaring at Optimus, clearly unfazed by their relative sizes. The medic waited for Optimus to respond, but he simply nodded and lowered his head slightly.

"Um…" Jack, probably realizing how uncomfortable the moment was, made his way down from the balcony with Miko right behind him and looked at Ratchet. "So Megatron found more of the dark stuff?"

"A whole mountain of it," Bulkhead growled. "The question is, how?"

"No," Ratchet corrected absently, gesturing for Echo to work on Optimus's other shoulder. "The question is 'what'. As in, what is the blood of Unicron doing on Earth?"

Miko looked from one 'bot to another in confusion. "The 'Cons killed a unicorn?"

_A…unicorn? _Echo blinked. "What?"

Miko sighed and rolled her eyes, as if it should have been self-explanatory. "You know, white horse with a horn on its head, prances around all sparkly?"

"No!" It was Echo's turn to roll her optics. "Uni**cron**. An ancient evil whose fossilized blood is what we call dark energon." At the looks she got from Arcee and Bulkhead, she added, "Well, that's what the stories say."

June frowned skeptically. "So this Unicron is some kind of boogeyman?"

"…Boogeyman?" Ratchet looked at Echo, who shook her head. The term had never come up in her research.

Miko shrugged and gestured around her. "Make-believe creepy guy who hides in your closet?"

"Why am I not surprised?" Ratchet sighed and stood up, having finished his patch job on Optimus's chest plate. "No, Nurse Darby. Unicron is very real." It was Echo's turn to give him an incredulous look. The older medic shrugged. "Well, _was. _That is, I do believe he once existed, I just don't subscribe to the theory that his primordial life force is the substance which –" The next phrase was probably going to be _reanimated the dead_, but after a look at the four humans, Ratchet adjusted his statement to "Harmed Raf."

June grimaced and shook her head. "I've heard enough. Jack, please help me get Raf into the car."

"What?" Echo moved her foot to let Jack pass as the human protested. "I thought he was doing better."

"Raf needs to be examined by _real _doctors. And his family – his real family – needs to know what happened." June shot a glare at Ratchet. Echo opened her mouth to protest – _Real doctors? You think some human will know more about dark energon than we do? _– but closed it again after a second. _I don't have room to talk. My performance today has been…less than spectacular, to say the least. _

Jack, on the other hand, didn't keep his mouth shut. "Mom, Raf's family can't protect him! Not like they can."

"June." Optimus stood up, gently brushing off Echo's attempt at keeping him from moving. "It deeply grieves me that I have failed." He took a few steps forward, and Echo moved quickly to support him as he continued. "But I will do everything in my power to ensure that no further harm comes to our human friends, or any human, ever again."

June stopped pushing Raf's bed toward her car, and for a moment, Echo thought she was going to listen. Then the woman sighed and looked back at the Autobot leader. "Optimus, they're children! They do not belong in your world. They should be worrying about grades, prom dates, pimples – not their own survival!" She grew more animated with each sentence, gesturing to make her point.

"Nurse Darby…" Echo wasn't sure why she felt the need to respond, but she did. "Dark energon – maybe the literal blood of Unicron – is erupting from a volcano on _Earth._" The femme paused, choosing her words carefully. "That is not normal. The question might not be one of the children's survival, but of everyone's, including ours."

June turned to the young medic, still frowning. "Which is not reassuring. You're coming with me, all three of you!" She gestured firmly to Jack and Miko, still standing with the Autobots. "And they will _not _be coming back."

Echo exchanged a startled look with Ratchet as Optimus said quietly, "I understand."

"What? That's it?" Miko's voice rose in abrupt frustration. "After all we've been through together, 'see ya'? What about _our _freedom to choose?"

"You mean, after everything you've put us through?" Echo smiled wryly. "Much as I hate to admit it, she has a point about choice…"

Before Optimus could respond, June cut in sharply. "That may fly on their planet, but not on this one. Get in the car."

Miko snorted. "Do you really expect me to ride in a non-transforming vehicle?"

"Miko, I'm _serious_." Apparently June Darby was capable of taking the exact same tone that Echo remembered Ratchet using when she was a sparkling and not listening to him.

Miko, for her part, was unfazed by the tone, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at the older human. "You're not my mother."

Bulkhead looked down at her worriedly. "Miko…"

"Neither are you!" Miko crossed her arms on her chest. "I'm _staying. _Look, even Echo backed me up."

"That's not exactly what I…" Echo sighed and gave up.

June was glaring at everyone in the room. "Well, I _am _your mother, Jack. Let's go."

Jack glanced back up at Arcee. The blue femme sighed and responded softly, "She's…your mom. You should probably…"

The human looked back at his mother, blinked, and said quietly, "I'm staying. I'm sorry."

June's eyes widened slightly. For a moment, Echo felt sorry for the woman. She was only trying to protect her children, after all. But then June slammed the car door, ignoring Raf's hurt expression and Bumblebee's saddened beep, and Echo's sympathy faded.

Optimus straightened up so that he wasn't leaning quite so much of his weight on Echo. "Ratchet, activate the groundbridge."

"No thank you!" June hit the gas so quickly that the car's tires squealed in protest, speeding out of the narrow tunnel and leaving black tracks on the base floor. Bumblebee whistled sadly, watching until the car was out of sight. The base was dead silent for a long moment, no one quite knowing what to say.

"PRIME! Do you copy?"

At the sudden yell, Echo jumped and hit her head on Optimus's arm. The Autobot leader raised an eyebrow at her and stepped away – the dark energon seemed to be wearing off, as he was clearly capable of moving on his own now. "I hear you, Agent Fowler."

Echo's spark thudded in her chest. _What now? _


	42. Chapter 42: Sparkbeat

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Again, not much.

**Summary:** The origin of the dark energon volcano.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Well, this wasn't quite where I planned on ending this chapter, but I feel bad about leaving this so long. Seriously, I haven't updated since **_**August.**_** Sorry about that! Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, read, and reviewed; I really appreciate your patience with my slow updates. I went a little bit more off-script as far as the show goes in this chapter, and started changing some things. Hopefully that's a good thing. **

**Chapter 42: Sparkbeat**

"Been watching the news?" Fowler didn't bother with pleasantries. "Mother Nature's got a twitch in her britches."

Optimus nodded calmly. "We know about the volcano."

"_And_ the quakes?" Fowler interrupted with a gesture in the direction of what was probably a console. Echo hurried back to her own and powered up the monitor, running a scan for the event in question as Fowler continued. "Seven major quakes of the exact same magnitude. All over the globe, on different tectonic plates. In theory unrelated, if they hadn't happened – "

Echo found the news report, and her optics widened as she transferred the data to the main screen. "If they hadn't all happened at the exact same time as the volcanic eruption. _Primus…_" She kept scanning further through the report down to a video clip. "And look at this."

"…_freak storms unlike any the region has seen. Tsunamis threaten the Canadian coast, while lightning storms pummel the Gobi desert. Meanwhile, electromagnetic anomalies plague urban power grids. These abnormal global phenomena are leaving most to wonder, 'Why now?' and 'What next?'" _

"Did the 'Cons build a weather machine or something?" Miko gestured toward the paused image of a hurricane, next to one of the dark energon volcano. "Can they even do that?"

Ratchet snorted. "One that powerful? Highly unlikely."

"I do not believe the reappearance of dark energon at this point in time to be coincidental." Optimus frowned at the monitor. "The Decepticons may not be responsible for these events, but I have no doubt that Megatron is involved in some way."

"If that is the case, then we need to know how, why, and _what._" Ratchet looked down over Echo's shoulder at the computer for a moment before starting off toward his own console. "Run a full search for anything that even resembles Decepticon signals or activity."

Echo nodded, servos already flying over the keys. "Copy. Cross-reference and analysis should narrow the results down, and I'll manually filter the unrelated ones. Should give us something to work with."

"That's gonna take a while, isn't it?" Fowler heaved a sigh, static blurring his image on the monitor. "It's getting rough out here. Call when you've got something, Prime. I mean it."

Optimus nodded, but the human had already ended the call. Thunder rumbled outside, audible even through the base walls, and Bumblebee whistled and beeped in concern.

Arcee sighed grimly. "Bee's right. Whether she likes it or not, June and Raf aren't safe out there."

"I've got their position on radar." Echo paused her search for a second to bring it up onscreen. Another crash of thunder made her jump, but she forced herself to ignore it. "Not that far out. We could open a bridge for them."

"Negative on the bridge," Ratchet called from the other side of the room. "That's an electrical storm. It'll wreck the system if we're not careful."

Bumblebee whistled and gestured frantically. Optimus finally looked away from the images on the monitor and nodded. "Yes, Bumblebee. Go and bring them back, or if June refuses, take them somewhere safe."

The young scout was transforming and speeding out of the base almost before the Autobot leader could finish his sentence. Echo cycled her vents and returned to searching everything on the computer that could possibly pick up an energy signal. _Come on. Come on. _

The ten minutes that followed were uncomfortably quiet, both medics working silently at their computer consoles. No one else commented, probably in an effort to avoid distracting them. _Considerate of them. _Echo fought the urge to tap her fingers on the console, studying the origin of the quakes. _I could use a distraction. Why hasn't anyone said anything about what happened at the mountain yet? Is anyone going to? Dad? Optimus? I know I screwed up. I almost got myself killed and didn't do anything to help. I know it was bad. Can't they just get it over with?_

An engine rumbled in the entry tunnel, and Bumblebee rolled into view a few seconds later, coming to a stop and opening both doors for Raf and June. The human boy waved up at everyone in general. "Um…we're back."

Ratchet glanced up from his console with a faint smile. "And we are glad."

"I'm not going to ask what happened to the other car." Echo shook her head and looked back at her computer. "Dad, look at these results. It's confirmed on all seven. The quakes are connected, at the – Miko! Turn the TV off! I can't hear myself process."

"_World leaders are classifying these bizarre weather patterns as a global emergency – " _"Global?" June half-sprinted up the steps to the second level to get a better look at the TV screen. _"- and scientists believe the phenomena to be somehow related to the current planetary alignment."_

"You think?" Echo rolled her optics, glanced down at the signal on her screen, and sighed. "Incoming – "

"What have you learned, Prime?" Agent Fowler stormed out of the elevator, already gesturing angrily. "And you'd better not blow smoke up my – oh, um…" He trailed off abruptly as June raised an eyebrow. "Mrs. Darby. What a…nice surprise."

"Special Agent Fowler," June replied evenly, eyebrow still raised. Echo sighed and turned back to her console, letting Ratchet answer Fowler's question.

"We've learned this much: the earthquakes, and the volcano, all originated from the same place." He paused, bringing up their simulation from the scans they'd taken. "Far below the Earth's crust, where normal earthquakes would originate."

"From the core, to be exact," Echo elaborated, pointing to the simulation. "And they've continued since, although on a level that can't be detected by humans."

Ratchet opened another simulation. "Tiny tremors, rising and falling in a consistent pattern, like – " He froze, staring at the screen. "_By the AllSpark_. Echo, are you seeing this?"

"What?" Echo shot out of her chair, almost knocking it over, and hurried to her father's side. "What is – " The tremor pattern flashed across the screen again. Her optics went wide. "That's not possible. It's just…_not._" But there it was, on the screen, practically staring her in the face. "Can…can we convert these data points to audio files? I think…"

Ratchet nodded, already entering the necessary commands. Fowler leaned over the railing, trying to see. "What? What is it?"

"Listen," Ratchet ordered quietly, stepping back and letting the audio file play.

A steady pulse echoed through the silent room, the rhythm all too familiar to both medics.

_One-two. One-two. One-two. One-two._

Arcee sounded uncharacteristically hesitant. "Is that…"

"A sparkbeat," Ratchet confirmed, a grim edge in his voice. "Specifically, a sparkbeat at a pace one would expect immediately after awakening from stasis."

"That's a – a Cybertronian heartbeat, isn't it?" Jack looked to Echo for confirmation. She nodded.

"Roughly equivalent, yes."

June shook her head. "But – no. How is that even possible? A heart pumps blood, or whatever you have. There's nothing inside the Earth to pump!"

_Nothing inside the Earth to pump. _Images flashed in Echo's processor, pieces fitting together in sudden realization. Dark energon erupting from a volcano. The quakes, the magnetic storms, and the prophecy. _A world forged from chaos. It can't be… _"Nothing except…" The look on both Optimus and Ratchet's faces told her that they had reached the same conclusion. Echo's voice shook as she finished the sentence. "Blood of Unicron."

The room went dead silent for a few moments before Miko finally spoke up. "Okay, hold on. You mean there's something _living _down there? Like in the Earth's core with all the magma?"

"Not precisely." Optimus gazed at the data points on the screen, representing each sparkbeat. "Rather than being comprised of magma, as your science suggests, I believe the Earth's core may in fact be dark energon."

"And if we're hearing a spark, it all but confirms it," Ratchet finished. "Unicron is the rising darkness that the prophecy foretold."

"Prophecy?..." Fowler grimaced and shook his head. "Never mind, I don't wanna know. Just tell me it included the important part. How do we stopthis thing from rising?"

Optimus shook his head soberly. "That, I am afraid, was not foretold."

"It never is," Bulkhead grumbled. Echo shot him a 'not helping' glare.

"Wait a minute. Back up." June gestured toward the screen. "How can something be in our Earth's core, and still be alive?"

Arcee shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Dark energon superpowers?"

"It's not exactly the first time," Echo pointed out. When everyone turned to look at her in surprise, she shrugged. "Well, if we're going by the Primus and Unicron legends, anyway."

All five humans – and Bulkhead – stared at her blankly, Miko asking with an exasperated sigh, "Who?"

"Primus and Unicron," Echo repeated, but before continuing, she paused and looked at Optimus. _He's the expert. I should…_

Optimus raised one eyebrow slightly and gestured for her to go on. She cycled her vents, suddenly nervous, and finally found her voice.

"Long ago – before your planet, before ours, before anything – there were just two beings in the universe. Primus, the Creator, and Unicron, the Destroyer or the Chaos-Bringer. Forever opposed to each other, and locked in an eternal combat. Primus would create life, and Unicron would destroy it. They battled across galaxies and star systems for hundreds of millions of years, each looking to bring the other down. The balance of the fight shifted between them constantly, too many times to count; Unicron would gain the upper servo, and the universe would darken, but then Primus would win a battle and light would return. But finally, Primus created the Thirteen: the original Primes, the first Cybertronians. With the help of the Thirteen, Primus defeated Unicron, and the Chaos-Bringer was lost to time and space. Primus then became one with the core of Cybertron, creating the Well of AllSparks. Every Cybertronian since is descended from the Thirteen, and sparks are first forged at the Well." Echo stopped, cycled her vents again, and glanced at Optimus and Ratchet.

Her father nodded in approval and placed a hand on her shoulder, finishing the story. "And as for Unicron, the legends don't say what happened to him. He dropped off the radar. Until today."


	43. Chapter 43: Bringer of Chaos

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Unicron's creepy constructs, mild battle stuff

**Summary:** Facing Unicron wasn't _quite _what they had in mind…

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: **_**Three hundred and four reviews, forty-three chapters, and over a hundred favorites and follows. **_**Tomorrow is the three-year anniversary of the original post of this story, and I am truly shocked and honored by the response it has gotten! Thank you so much to everyone who has kept up with this story and put up with my slow updates and various writing flaws. It is always a pleasure to see that someone has read my story, even if it's just a change in the number of views. I really do appreciate every one of you.**

**This chapter turned out longer than usual (my subconscious making up for the last short one?), so I'm going to say it's in celebration of the three-year anniversary and finishing part 1 of the "One Shall Rise" finale. Hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I did writing it! **

**Chapter 43: Bringer of Chaos**

Agent Fowler frowned skeptically. "So you're telling me this thing in our planet is some kind of uber-Con? Megatron times a zillion?"

Optimus took a second, apparently to decipher the human term, before answering. "That would be one way to look at it, yes."

"So it's basically a Decepticon." Fowler gestured to nothing in particular. "Maybe we can find the hole this thing left when he dug his way all the way down to the core, and fill it full of explosives. That's solve our problem, right?"

Echo stifled a sigh. _No. No, it won't. _Before she could respond, Optimus clarified, "Agent Fowler, I do not believe Earth became Unicron's home, but rather that time and gravitational pull resulted in debris collecting around what remained of the titan." When Fowler still looked confused, Ratchet added, "Forming your Earth itself. Unicron _became_ the Earth's core."

"But he's only waking up _now…_" Arcee's optics widened in realization. "…due to the magnetic pull from the planetary alignment!"

Relieved that someone had been listening, Echo nodded. "Yes, or at least that's our best explanation for the situation."

"Okay, but what happens now?" Jack leaned over the railing, trying to see the computer screen. "When Unicron wakes up from his billion-year nap?"

"Yeah, does he just stretch, and ka-pow?" Miko almost fell off Bulkhead's shoulder. "Earth poofs to dust?"

The room went silent for an uncomfortably long minute. Echo looked from Optimus to Ratchet, realized neither of them was going to answer, and fiddled uncomfortably with a wrench balanced on the corner of the computer. _Well…logically…it's possible, but only if Unicron still technically has a Cybertronian form. After all these years, he might not. The earthquakes could indicate that, yes, but the magnetic storms suggest something different…_ None of the answers that flashed through her processor seemed to be appropriate.

June looked around the room and said quietly, "You don't know, do you?"

More silence. Echo looked up at Optimus, who finally responded, "I believe that Unicron may have transcended physical form as we know it. The Earth shattering around us is unlikely. Nonetheless, we must find a way to ensure that this…force of nature, for lack of a better term, never fully awakens. The fate of your planet depends upon it."

Ratchet folded his arms decisively. "Then what are we waiting for? Any ideas?"

The third awkward silence in five minutes ensured that no one wanted to look at each other. Echo kept fiddling with her wrench, staring at the simulation on-screen. _This isn't my thing. I'm not a warrior. I'm not a strategist. I can fix things and I can study them, but…what is there to study?_ "What if we looked at the planetary alignment? Maybe we could find a way to block the magnetic pull, or at least…I don't know, limit it. The groundbridge frequencies are affected by magnetic interference. Could we reverse that somehow?"

"In theory, yes." Ratchet sighed. "The problem is that it would have to be on a massive scale, and our groundbridge is nowhere near powerful enough. If I had access to a space bridge network, I _might_ be able to rig it to interfere with the magnetic pull, and even then I'm not sure it would work. With our level of technology, it's out of the question."

"Right." Echo sighed and went back to staring at the computer. _Well, so much for that…_

"She might be on to something," Arcee commented. "Maybe we can't eliminate the magnetic pull, but what if we focused on whatever it's pulling on? I'm assuming that would be the metals in the Earth, right?"

Optimus turned to look at her. "I believe so. What did you have in mind?"

Arcee shrugged. "I don't know, exactly, but maybe it's a starting point. Something we can look at. It would be connected to Unicron somehow, at least, and maybe there's a way to shut him down through that. EMP or something."

"Not an EMP, but…" Ratchet paused for a second to check a calculation. "Echo, look up those earthquake locations again? We're looking at the amount of ore in each area, specifically."

Echo typed in several rapid commands and brought up the image on the main screen. "I don't have a measurement for that yet. We have location, time, and magnitude, but nothing about the area."

"Then getting readings would be step one, and we're running low on time." The older medic moved toward the groundbridge, glancing at Optimus "I have an idea, but unless I get that specific reading, I can't test it. It should only take a few hours."

"Understood, but we need you here." Optimus intercepted Ratchet, stepping between him and the groundbridge. "I will go."

"That won't work." Ratchet crossed his arms again pointedly. "Prime, you don't have the necessary subroutines to run the correct scan – "

"I can go."

Both the senior medic and the Autobot leader turned to look at Echo, who fought the urge to sit back down and stay quiet. "I have the subroutines. I can run the scan and get the data. You can start your tests before I even get back."

"No. Absolutely not." Ratchet was already shaking his head before she'd finished her first sentence. "Look what happened the last time a member of our team went off without backup." He shot a glare at Optimus. "Dark energon, weather phenomena, drastic changes to the planet, and you would be walking directly into the epicenter of a quake connected to Unicron. I'm not letting you go out there by yourself."

Echo bit her lip, hearing the unspoken words behind it. _I screwed up last time and nearly got myself killed by Megatron. What makes me think I can face Unicron?_

"I don't believe she planned to go alone, Ratchet," Optimus said calmly. "I will be with her, and the rest of the team can stand by for backup. Since we have two medics, it is a logical solution."

Ratchet kept shaking his head. "Two Autobots are a better idea than one alone, but I can go with you. Echo can run the tests."

"She can also run the scans," Optimus pointed out. "Ratchet, this is not up for debate. Either both of you remain, or Echo goes with me." He looked at the humans, anxiously in conversation with Bulkhead and Arcee, and lowered his voice. "I understand your desire to protect your daughter, and I would prefer that she remain at base as well. But if we truly need a medic's qualifications for this, I can protect her. If Unicron becomes aware of our presence, he will not view her as a threat in the same way he would see you, or any of our warriors."

"Dad…" Echo winced and looked down. "Look, I know I screwed up earlier. I know, okay? But…I can do this. I know I can. I won't make the same mistake this time."

Ratchet's expression softened slightly. "That's not what this is about, Echo. You have nothing to prove to me." He placed her servo on her shoulder, uncharacteristic worry in his optics. "Your safety is my only concern."

"I've done more dangerous things than this," Echo said quietly, forcing herself to make optic contact. "The cortical psychic patch? Going onto the Nemesis? And even if I hadn't…" She stopped and cycled her vents. "We're saving the world, Dad. That's more important."

"I know." Ratchet closed his optics for a second before nodding once and looking up at Optimus. "We're low on time. If you are going to do this, it should be now, before Unicron awakens further." He typed in the correct coordinates, and the groundbridge hissed online. "Your first epicenter is the one with the lowest level of sparkbeat data points, which might indicate a lower level of consciousness as well. We can have backup there in seconds if you need it."

"Copy." Optimus started through the bridge, gesturing for Echo to follow. She hesitated, looking at Ratchet.

Her father forced a very slight smile that wasn't terribly reassuring, and placed his servo on her shoulder again. "Stay safe. No heroics. Stay with Optimus and keep your coding overridden."

"I promise." Echo hugged him quickly, cycled her vents again, and hurried after Optimus.

Three epicenters and half an hour later, Echo had finally started to hope that this mission might go off without a hitch. Other than pouring rain at the second epicenter (in Australia), there had been no sign of Unicron. Thunder rumbled over the narrow stone canyon, but so far she hadn't seen any lightning.

Optimus glanced down at the scanner on Echo's wrist. "Ratchet, this epicenter is consistent with the findings of the others. Its terrain is rich in ore."

::Good. This confirms my theory.:: Ratchet's voice over the comm link crackled with static. ::The natural metals in Earth appear to be extensions of Unicron, for all intents and purposes.::

"Analogous to limbs?" Echo turned to study an odd pattern in the cliff wall a few yards above her.

::Essentially, yes.:: The comm link faded, then crackled sharply as Ratchet's voice rose urgently. ::Optimus! I'm detecting a swell in Unicron's spark activity.::

Echo didn't hear Optimus's response, if he gave one. The pattern was _shifting,_ changing into something else. Something that resembled…

When the optics flashed online in the center of the rock, she couldn't stifle a startled cry.

Optimus was between her and the wall almost immediately, pushing her away from the face. Purple optics – the exact shade that haunted Echo's nightmares – locked on the Autobot leader, studying him for a second before a deep voice rumbled through the cliff. "Do you know me, follower of Primus?"

"Unicron." Optimus kept his arm back, shielding Echo. "The Chaos-Bringer."

"Good." Unicron's optics narrowed, and the rock around him started to crumble. Echo stumbled a few involuntary steps back as the massive Cybertronian pulled free of the cliff face, stone shattering and crashing. _What? No – no, no, no, it's not possible…no, no, no…_

The figure – _that's not the actual Unicron, it can't be – _advanced, arm forming into a massive spiked mace. "Now know me as Unicron, your destroyer!"

"Echo, go!" Optimus pushed her back sharply, battle blades sweeping up barely in time to block the attack. Echo stumbled, almost fell, and dived out of the way, desperately trying to open a comm line.

"Dad? Dad! Dad, if you're there, we need a bridge, we need backup – " Fallen rock crashed down on her, denting her shoulder panel. Blades crashed only feet away, and Echo stumbled backward again as Optimus placed himself between her and the Unicron-construct again.

Then, to her horror, Optimus deactivated his battle blades.

_Oh, Primus, no…_ "What are you…" Echo forced her objection down, even though her spark was racing and her processor spinning with terror. _He knows. He knows what he's doing. It'll be alright…_

"I humbly request your ear, Lord Unicron." Optimus sounded no less calm than he had at the base. Polite, calm, and completely in control. _But this is Unicron. We can't – there's no control of this situation – _

But Unicron's construct stopped to look at him, contempt visible in those optics. "And what would a _Prime_ have to say to me?"

"I make this appeal not for myself, but for this planet which you constitute, and the beings which inhabit it." Optimus took a step forward, but held out his arm to keep Echo from following. "Humankind relies on you for life. For sustenance."

_So do we,_ some shell-shocked part of Echo's processor quipped. She managed not to say it out loud. _Not by choice…_

"Your resurrection will only result in the extinction of a species which evolved from the seeds of your very greatness." Optimus sounded entirely sincere. Convincing. _Maybe…maybe this will work…_

The Unicron-construct appeared to consider for a moment. "This humankind of which you speak. You consider them my progeny?"

Optimus maintained optic contact. Echo wasn't sure how, given that she could barely look at the burning optics without terrifying flashbacks. "Indeed."

"Parasites!" Unicron's shout sent a jolt of panic down Echo's spine, and she found herself backing away yet again. _No! No, no this can't be happening… _"They too shall know my wrathful hand. Once I have finished with you!" Before either Autobot had time to react, the massive weapons had morphed into stone hands, and purple lightning exploded from the fingertips to slam into the Autobot leader. Optimus crashed into the ground yards away, panels twitching from the electricity.

"Optimus!" Echo sprinted to his side, scanners already online. When she reached for him, a jolt ran up her arm, sending a shock all the way down to her spark. _Not good - more than one or two of those could kill him – oh, Primus, I can't do anything if he's hit again – _

"The line of Primes has grown weak in my absence." Echo looked up, dread catching in her spark, to see Unicron sneering down at the two. "What can you do against me, child? Thus you shall fall."

Optimus struggled to get up, shoulders forming a barrier between Echo and the construct. "That outcome is inevitable. But not on this day!" Echo recognized the familiar transformation sound, and jumped back as Optimus pushed himself upright and opened fire. Bright blue laser blasts slammed into the construct, shattering rock and throwing it to the ground. The purple optics went out, and the construct crumbled into broken stone.

Echo barely had time to cycle her vents in relief before the ground shook and cliff faces all around them started to shatter. She turned slowly, ending back-to-back with Optimus, already fighting to keep her spark from overheating as constructs shook free of the rocks, surrounding them. _We're dead. We're dead. No, no, no, no, no…._

"Yes, disciple of Primus." The voices came from everywhere and nowhere, all the constructs speaking in unison. "On this very day. For Unicron may be one…" Dozens of stone Unicron-constructs moved toward them, rock scraping on the ground and weapons clattering into place. "But we all are Unicron!"

Echo's spark pulsed too fast, superheating her vents and sending involuntary shivers down her arms. _Primus...please, no..._


	44. Chapter 44: It's Our Fight

**Rating:** T for some violence and Cybertronian swearing

**Warnings for this chapter: **Minicron battles and Echo fitting the word "frag" in everywhere she can.

**Summary:** Autobots stand together. Danger doesn't change that.

**Pairing(s): **None.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything except Echo.

**A/N: Aaack…can't believe it took me this long to update again! Sorry, guys. I'm still alive and trying to write, I promise. Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! As always, they're all very appreciated. Hope you like this chapter as well! Echo's a little tricky to write battle scenes for, but I finally got it to a point where I'm happy with it. **

**Chapter 44: It's Our Fight**

"Prime?..." Echo's voice shook more than she had expected, but with Unicron's constructs approaching, she was surprised she could speak at all.

"Stay back, Echo." Optimus's servo brushed her shoulder, pushing her back behind him. "Stay calm. I promised to keep you safe, and I _will_."

The comm system crackled back to life abruptly, Ratchet's voice hissing with static. ::Optimus? Echo! Can you hear me? Are there any further signs of Unicron's emergence?::

Before Echo had time to answer, the constructs spoke again, eerily synchronized as usual. "Unicron is power incarnate! And on this day _you,_ the last of the Primes, shall perish."

"Y-you might say that," Echo rasped, taking another step back and bumping into Optimus. "Yeah. _Frag._"

::I noticed. We're on our way!::

"Negative." Echo's optics widened in shock, and she spun to look up at Optimus. The Prime placed a servo protectively on her shoulder. "Send a groundbridge. Get Echo out of here. Unicron cannot be defeated by sheer force. He wants me. This fight must be mine, and mine alone."

Echo was shaking her head before he finished the sentence, ejecting her battle blades and lifting them in a shaky version of the defense stance Wheeljack had taught her. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. "Prime, I'm not abandoning you. I – _look out!_" She screamed the last two words and dived back as three constructs dropped from the cliff above, stone blades raised.

Optimus spun around, battle mask snapping into place, and opened fire. The first three constructs shattered into rock, crashing down around the two Autobots, but there were more behind them, too many to count. Stone crashed into metal, throwing Echo to the ground and knocking her away from Optimus.

"No!" Echo struggled to get back up, fell again, and rolled out of the way of another strike, skidding across the ground. "_Prime!"_ A construct lunged down toward her, and she stabbed up at it instinctively. Her blade sank deep into the space between its optics, caught in the rock, and stuck solidly as the construct's heavy club crashed into the rocks above her.

_Frag! _She twisted and jerked back, frantically trying to free the blade. It ripped out of the construct's head sideways, shattering the rock and sending dust flying. The rest of the construct collapsed on top of her in a heap of rubble as the connection with Unicron was abruptly severed.

_They're not alive – coding don't act up now, they're not really alive, they're not actually dying – _Echo shoved rocks off her chest, rolled over, and pushed herself upright, stumbling on loose gravel. Three constructs turned toward her at the sound, with more forming out of the rocks behind her. There was no sign of Optimus. _Scrap, scrap, slag, scrap…_

"Prime!" She backed up, ducked under another blow that narrowly missed her head, and slashed her blade up at the construct's head. It was too tall, and the blade only glanced off its shoulder. "Prime! Dad! _Base!_ Can anyone hear me? _Is anyone there?_"

Nothing except the ominous crackling of a cut-off comm line, and the heavy thud of the constructs' pedes on the ground. Echo gulped, tried to stifle a tiny whimper, and held her blades up in front of her as she backed away. The constructs weren't charging her, not yet. They didn't need to. Where was she going to go? Over a cliff edge?

_Oh, Primus…_ Somewhere in the back of her processor, she noted the irony of the thought – wasn't she facing _Unicron_ at the moment?

The construct closest to her lunged and swept his club down at her head. She tried to dodge, but didn't quite make it – the stone glanced off her shoulder, knocked her off balance, and nearly sent her sprawling. Panicked, she slashed both of her blades up, slicing through its head, but as it collapsed, the one behind it slammed into her and sent her flying. Her head smacked against rock, and she landed in a curled heap, processor spinning and optics blurred. They came back online just in time to see eight constructs closing in on her, the nearest one with its club raised.

_I'm going to die._

She closed her optics. She didn't want to watch. _Dad…Dad, I'm sorry, I should have listened to you…_

But instead of a stone club crashing down on her, the next thing she heard was laser fire, shattering rock, and a shout in Cybertronian. Next second Optimus's servo clamped around her arm, hauled her upright, and pushed her back behind him in one movement. "Echo, go! Go!"

Echo stumbled, pain shooting up from her knee – she hadn't noticed an injury there – and obeyed, ducking under a construct's arm and running for her life. She didn't get more than a few dozen yards before realizing Optimus hadn't followed. "Prime? Prime!" When she turned to look, she couldn't even see him through the haze of dust and stone mini-Unicrons. "_Prime!_ No!"

She stabbed at the nearest construct, drawing a deep gash across its arm, and jumped back out of the way of a follow-up swing, lashing out with her other blade and somehow managing to catch another construct in the head. Everything was moving too fast – she couldn't move fast enough to dodge them all for long - "Dad – base – backup, now!" The comm line was still crackling and too static-laced for any response to come through, but she had to try. _If I don't – we both die – _She swung both blades up, cutting off a construct's club and the side of its head in the same movement. "Dad!"

In her entire life, she'd never been so thankful to hear a groundbridge open.

Laser fire exploded from the cliff above, and seconds later Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead crashed into the construct army, rocks shattering with every shot. Arcee spun in mid-air and kicked the nearest construct in the head, sending it stumbling toward Echo. The medic yelped, backed up – _again, scrap, not my best strategy – _and swung her blades up in an X, catching the construct's head between the two and slicing the top half off. It crumbled into dust, showering both Echo and Arcee in gravel and finally letting the medic catch a glimpse of Optimus smashing a construct into dust.

Echo let out a slight gasp of relief. _Dad, your timing is perfect. _

"You okay?" Arcee shouldered the younger femme back abruptly, opening fire on the re-forming constructs in front of them. "Get back! Are you hurt?" Echo's comm line snapped back online with a hiss of static and Ratchet's voice.

::Echo, can you hear me? Are you alright? Respond!::

"N-no. No." Echo shook her head, glancing quickly at her knee. It was just a dent. "I'm here, Dad. I'm not hurt. I – slag, ow!" Stone gouged into her shoulder, driving her back and away from Arcee. The medic spun on one heel, blade out, and nearly hacked off the construct's weapon arm without realizing what she was doing. It stumbled, giving her a split-second to slice through its head. "They don't fragging _stop!_"

Optimus's blade slammed through a construct right in front of both femmes and twisted, shattering the creature into rubble. "Did Ratchet not relay my command?" The Prime took advantage of a second of calm to level a glare at everyone within range. "Return to base! All of you!"

"Reinforcements will not prevent your destruction, disciple of Primus!" Echo shivered at the eerie synchronized threat, and took a step sideways to be closer to both Optimus and Arcee. _I'm all for returning to base, but what happens if we just leave? What if these things go crazy?_

The blue femme, for her part, ignored the order, leveling her gun at the approaching enemy. "Optimus, you're Unicron's target. Maybe _you_ should consider returning to base!"

"These manifestations of Unicron can locate me anywhere on Earth," Optimus responded sternly. "Even our base's shielding would only cloak my position for so long. I will not put others at risk."

"Then fall back and let us take the lead!" Bulkhead's arm cannon fired rapidly, dropping constructs off the cliff with every shot. "Just this once?"

::Optimus, please, listen to reason!:: Echo could hear the frustration in Ratchet's voice. ::If you don't survive, I fear neither will this planet. If you won't return to base…::

Optimus shook his head slowly and looked away from the constructs. It took Echo a few seconds to realize he was looking at _her. _She knew what was coming. "Prime, sir, I'm not leaving. None of us are. I'm not much help, I know that, but we don't abandon our own." Rock crunched behind her as another construct materialized. Echo spun around and slammed her blade into the center of its face before it could finish standing up, with a force that surprised even her. "This is our fight, too! We're not leaving you!"

Bumblebee whistled his agreement, and Optimus finally nodded. "Very well."

Bulkhead and Bumblebee moved back in, and Arcee pushed Echo lightly back behind her, all four of them in front of Optimus. "Echo, you don't have a gun. If you won't go back to base – "

"Slag no! Not without the rest of you!"

" – stay back with Optimus," Arcee finished, locking her right blaster into place and targeting the constructs ahead of them. "Let's move!"

Up until that point, Echo had assumed she knew what a battle looked like. The fight on the Nemesis to rescue Fowler, what felt like lifetimes ago – hadn't that been a battle? Her first one?

_My first, I suppose. But no, not a battle. Not like this._

This was a fight for survival.

She didn't know how many constructs she killed – _no, not killed, don't think of them like that, they're not alive – _but she knew it was far less than the rest of the team. Most of the stone creatures went down under combined laser fire, and the few that made it past that had to then get past Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Arcee before reaching Echo. Somewhere in the back of her processor, she knew that this was _far_ from as bad as it could get.

At least, that was what she kept telling herself as gravel clattered against her plating and her blade scraped on stone. _Not alive. Just rocks. Not even really in the middle of the fight. We'll survive this. We will. _

It was almost working, until they hit the flat plains at the top of the cliffs, and it became clear that just because Unicron's constructs had mostly been close to Cybertronian size, they didn't have to be.

"Oh, _frag – _" Echo swore and dived out of the way of the first huge construct, slamming side-first into the ground and skidding for a few feet before managing to go to vehicle mode. "Frag, frag, _frag!_" She trailed off into Cybertronian and yelped as she slid too far over and bounced off the side of another construct's pede, leaving streaks of green paint on the rock.

Optimus's truck form crashed through the construct's pede, shattering the leg, and sped off to the side away from the falling rocks. "Echo, with me! Stay close!"

Tires scraping painfully on stone, Echo dodged another construct and pulled alongside Optimus, trying to keep up. Her vehicle mode was faster, but she couldn't predict any rapid turns and barely managed to follow through. Still, she stayed as close as she could, just far enough out to avoid crashing into constructs. Optimus could handle the impact, a few times at least. Echo couldn't.

_We're not going to make it through this – we need a new strategy – _

But before she could protest, they were in the clear, with no more constructs to be seen. Startled, Echo dropped back behind Optimus and pulled closer to the others. _That can't be it...Unicron wouldn't give up…_

Then the cliff above them - _the entire fragging cliff! _– rumbled, shifted, and started forming into a silhouette that was all too familiar.

Echo skidded to an abrupt halt and transformed, almost crashing into Optimus's back as he did the same. Above them, the construct rose, purple optics staring down at them from what seemed like an impossible height.

Echo's spark thudded in her chest, panic rising in her vocalizer. _Frag…no, no, no, this is _not _happening…_


End file.
